Estamos en el verano de 1980, en Alemania del Este y la doctora Barbara se ve obligada a vivir y trabajar como médico en una pequeña ciudad de provincia, como castigo por intentar emigrar a Occidente. Sólo tiene un objetivo: escapar y para ello, tiene que esperar pacientemente. Su estancia allí es muy difícil por la vigilancia y las inspecciones de la Stasi, hasta que André, su supervisor en el hospital, la saca de su rutina diaria. ¿Sus motivos son el amor o el deber con las autoridades? La simulación diaria, y la vigilancia permanente lentamente se cobran su peaje a medida que la tensión aumenta.
Gisela is a young wife and mother, living in a working class German Housing Scheme. She is a supermarket cashier, her husband a delivery driver. The marriage is stale but together they are working their way up into the middle class. George and Gisela evidently knew each other as teenagers. They live on the same scheme and George introduces her to his friend Paul. There is instant mutual attraction. Gisela spontaneously goes to a party that they invite her to that evening, where she and Paul begin a sexual relationship.
Noticing Marie's devastation after her boyfriend, Paul, dumps her, call boy Theo tries to help, and their friendship soon grows deeper, touching a part of Theo he's frozen in order to service his male clients. When Paul returns, however, his presence threatens this fragile new union.
