French writer Emma (Ana Girardot) is 27 and lives in Berlin with her younger sister Madeleine (Gina Jimenez). She has a casual, long-distance relationship with the married Stéphane (Yannick Renier), who visits her in Berlin from time to time. When she tells him that she wants to write a book about prostitution and therefore try her hand as a prostitute, he is stunned. Her sister is no less so. But Emma is not dissuaded. The first brothel she tries, however, is not a good place, and she soon has unpleasant experiences with an uncontrollable client. But she has more luck at "La Maison", where Inge (Hildegard Schroedter) runs the place like a mother and keeps an eye on things. Emma also likes her female employees from different countries and backgrounds. She encounters a wide range of men: old, young, macho, sex-hungry and pleasure-seekers, but also uptight and shy beginners. A few months turn into two years in which she collects material for her book - as inconspicuously as possible. She experiences dangerous situations, secrecy and isolation, but she also sees herself as strong and self-determined. But then she meets Ian (Lucas Englander), falls in love with him - and is faced with a tricky decision.