A biopic by Helma Sanders-Brahm on the life of the poet and dramatist Heinrich von Kleist. The film is based upon his letters, documents and literary works. This film won the Deutscher Filmpreis in 1977 making Sanders-Brahm the first female director to win it.

Berlin, 1974. Grischa and Heinrich are actors, accidentally locked in the rehearsal hall one night. He tries to seduce her; she's puts him off. Later she dumps her husband and sleeps with Heinrich, who ups the ante by suggesting they have a child. She takes him seriously by initiating a journalistic project interviewing working mothers, asking how they balance work and family, delving into their sexual histories. Heinrich sulks when she spends evenings on the project, he's childish. Should she leave him? The story plays out against the backdrop of left-wing political agitation.