Hendrik Höfgen's acting career, which began in 1926 at the Hamburg Artists' Theatre, takes a steep rise in the so-called New Reich: courted by the Prime Minister, Höfgen becomes a star and betrays his political and moral values for personal gain. Too late, the opportunist realizes that he has actually made a pact with the devil.

Luk Perceval, one of the best-known directors in contemporary theater, stages Klaus Mann's satirical exile novel. He analyzes the responsibility of the individual in a fascist state and drills deep into the wound between art and power.