The 21-year-old student Oliver Mansfeld attends a boarding school in Frankfurt. There he meets the married banker's wife Verena. A passionate affair develops between them, which does not remain undiscovered by Verena's husband for long.

An antique bed relates passionate stories about various people who have made love on it throughout the decades of the 20th century. Said folks include a sweet young virgin, a sly prostitute who helps a jilted woman get revenge on her unfaithful husband, a German soldier fighting in World War II who's on leave for two hours, and a carefree modern couple.