A showgirl aspiring to greater things endeavours to sort out her financial and romantic problems.

Vienna is celebrating New Year’s Eve 1913/14. It is the year, which will see the outbreak of the First World War. In Hotel Sacher, the mood is excellent; and although the political atmosphere is charged, there’s an undercurrent of hate and intolerance in the air. It is with this background that Nadja, a Russian spy, meets the Austrian civil servant Stefan. He loves her, but comes under suspicion of being an agent because of this love.

Berlin, the end of the 19th Century: The pretty sisters Gabriele and Ulrike Wilkens have both completed their ballet training with honors. But only Gabriele is really dedicated to the art; Ulrike, on the other hand, is more the domestic type. She dreams of having a husband and children. One day, both of them get to know the aspiring composer Andreas Holk. Holk falls madly in love with Gabriele without suspecting, that Ulrike is in love with him! He arranges a prestigious engagement for the sisters at the Berlin Opera, which only Gabriele accepts. Ulrike prefers her modest life. When Count Alversheim courts Gabriele with unbridled energy, a disappointed Holk turns to Ulrike. When Gabriele finally comes to her senses, it is too late: she’s lost Holk to her sister.