The events take place in Vienna in 1938. Seller of tobacco products Franz Huchel goes crazy, falling in love with a bohemian dancer. He feels the need to share his experiences with someone, but he hardly has any close friends. The owner of Otto's tobacco shop, who stubbornly opposes the propaganda of Nazism, warmly welcomes Sigmund Freud, who often buys tobacco from them. Franz confides in the professor of psychoanalysis to get answers to questions that torment his soul.