The film centers around Erika Kohut, a middle-aged piano teacher who lives with her mother in Vienna. On the surface, Erika appears to be a conventional and austere woman, devoted to her work and her mother. However, as the story unfolds, it becomes clear that Erika's life is one of quiet desperation and repression. Her desires and emotions are tightly controlled, and she is haunted by a traumatic event from her past.