In 1983 East Berlin, dedicated Stasi officer Gerd Wiesler begins spying on a famous playwright and his actress-lover Christa-Maria. Wiesler becomes unexpectedly sympathetic to the couple, and faces conflicting loyalties when his superior takes a liking to Christa-Maria.

A couple from the upper bourgeoisie, married for several years, are going through the sexual sluggishness that every old couple experiences. He ends up confessing to her that although he still loves her, she no longer provokes the same emotions in him as before...