Director Philipp Stolzl takes the helm for this biographical drama set during the formative years of legendary German poet, playwright, and author Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, as he grappled with his growing talents and experienced his first brush with true love. Germany: 1772. Aspiring poet Goethe (Alexander Fehling) has just failed his law exam when his father (Henry Hubchen) sends him packing for a provincial court to study undisturbed. Though Goethe's future in law begins to look a bit brighter when he gains the respect of high-ranking court official Kestner (Moritz Bleibtreu), his personal life starts to falter when he falls for Lotte (Miriam Stein), a pretty young woman whose father has secretly arranged her marriage to another suitor.