The young lieutenant Hans Rudloff is engaged to the daughter of a councilor of commerce. However, he is in love with the flower arranger Anna. In order to marry her, he is even prepared to resign from his post. But gossip and intrigue don't exactly make things easy for the two of them.
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.
