The film is set during the Third Reich and is about the forbidden love between the German singer Willie (Hanna Schygulla) and the Swiss Jewish composer Robert Mendelssohn (a character based on Rolf Liebermann), who actively seeks to help an underground group of German Jews.
Film tersebut berlatar belakang pada masa Reich Ketiga dan tentang cinta terlarang antara penyanyi Jerman Willie (Hanna Schygulla) dan komposer Yahudi Swiss Robert Mendelssohn (sebuah karakter yang berdasarkan pada Rolf Liebermann), yang aktif membantu kelompok bawah tanah Yahudi Jerman.