Nele is a dreamer. Time and again, she escapes from her dreary everyday life into the soulful world of opera and music. Almost invisible, the young woman, who actually comes from a small village in Estonia, makes her way in a large German city as a multi-jobber. She lives in a student flat-share and earns her money in a call center and in the cloakroom at the State Opera. But she carries a secret from her past that keeps causing her horrible, bloody nightmares.
When she meets the street dancer and petty criminal Kolya, it is a fateful encounter for both of them, the meeting of soul mates. In a symbiosis of song and dance, they grow closer to each other. But Nele’s dark past stands in the way of their budding love.
The talent manager Höllbach represents the great opera diva Adela. He is her husband, manager, bodyguard and biggest fan all in one. But Adela’s career begins to falter when her voice fails her during a performance of Madame Butterfly. That’s when Höllbach becomes aware of Nele’s enormous singing talent. It seems to be Nele’s big chance.