Christa-Maria Sieland is a prominent stage actress in the GDR. Similar to her boyfriend, playwright Georg Dreyman, she is sympathetic to the dissident views of many East German artists while also making certain concessions to the Socialist party. She goes a step further than Dreyman, however, in that she takes favors from party leaders and submits to other corrupt demands in order to preserve her status as the darling actress of the GDR. With somber reluctance, she accepts this arrangement as a necessary evil for the sake of her art. But this sacrifice will come at a cost that could include estrangement from Dreyman.