Marlene Dietrich as a German cabaret singer in the States whose husband, Ned, falls ill and his only hope is to receive expensive medical treatment at a clinic in Europe. Struggling to afford his care and to support their son, she works at a nightclub and succumbs to the advances of a wealthy playboy, whose gifts assist in her husband's recovery. The film contains the well-known scenes where Dietrich performs stage numbers in a gorilla suit and a white tuxedo (complete with top hat).