Alma Mahler is a beautiful, outspoken young woman and a talented composer in turn-of-the-century Vienna. Her life crosses a rich artistic era and two world wars as she finds herself at the center of these turbulent and emotional times. She is swept up in passionate affairs with some of the most talented artists of her time, including her husband, the composer Gustav Mahler, architect Walter Gropius, and painter Oskar Kokoschka. The men are inspired by her, but stifle her, and when Mahler forbids her to compose her own music, she must find ways to express herself despite her surroundings.