A German doctor is banished to a remote hospital in East Germany in this drama set at the dawn of the 1980s. At odds with her new surroundings, frustrated doctor Barbara (Nina Hoss) finds comfort only in her secret rendezvous' with her West German paramour Jörg (Mark Waschke). Jörg is currently in the midst of formulating an escape plan for Barbara, and in the meantime the exiled doctor begins working in tandem with chief physician Andre (Ronald Zehrfeld). Despite Andre's outward kindness to her, Barbara resists his overtures. When a pregnant patient named Stella (Jasna Fritzi Bauer) arrives in the hospital infected with meningitis, however, Barbara and Andre begin working closely together to save the life of the young woman and her unborn child. Over time, the barriers between Andre and Barbara begin to fall. But when the time comes for Barbara to flee across the border, it remains uncertain which course of action she will take.