Desha Delteil

A young woman, who wants to be in the Follies, is making ends meet by working at a department store's sheet music department, where she sings the latest hits. She is accompanied on piano by her childhood boyfriend, who is in love with her, despite her single-minded interest in her career. When a vaudeville performer asks her to join him as his new partner, she sees it as an opportunity to make her dream come true. Upon arriving in New York City, our heroine finds out that her new partner is only interested in sleeping with her and makes this a condition of making her a star. Soon, however, she is discovered by a representative of Ziegfeld.

A Polish family, left homeless in the wake of World War I, move to Germany and struggle to survive during the Great Inflation. War orphan Inga has only accumulated a small amount of money from the rubble and hopes to wed Paul. Weakened by poison gas, Paul begins to invest in Inga's future and serves as their symbol of optimism.