Shortly after failing to rescue a drowning man, Donato meets Konrad, a friend of the victim. They soon begin a relationship which seems doomed from the start, while Donato's past catches up with him.

Undine works as a historian lecturing on Berlin's urban development. When the man she loves leaves her, the ancient myth catches up with her. But falling in love anew, Undine reworks the myth of the mysterious water spirit as a modern fairy-tale in a disenchanted world.