Immediately following Maria and Hermann Braun's wedding during WWII, Hermann, a soldier in the German army, returns to active duty to fight on the Russian front. Hermann goes MIA, he or his body not yet having been found by the end of the war. The situation of post-war Germany and Hermann's missing status makes life difficult for poor Maria, who also supports her long widowed mother with who she lives. Maria uses her cunning and her beauty and feminine wiles to survive. In using all of the above in dealing with men, Maria will do much to get what she wants, including having sex for financial gain and to satisfy her sexual needs, but she is up front that she will never marry any of those men, many who would want to marry her, in her love and memory for Hermann. Maria's situation and the primary reason for wanting/needing money changes over time, but her ability to manipulate especially men for her own gain does not change. However, one of those men may know more about Maria's life than she would imagine, which may affect she reaching her end goal.—Huggo