East Berlin, a few years after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Eva, a retired nurse, makes it through her day on a combination of stimulants and sleeping pills, wine and brandy. She finds fleeting joy in American jazz and blues records, and occasional visits from her married lover. Her friendly teenaged neighbour is her closest companion. Then her American niece, Maggie, arrives in Berlin. Eva is thrilled - Maggie is just the companion she's been seeking. But happiness begins to slide from Eva's grasp as Maggie's own fierce drug addiction reveals itself.