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The Mysteries of a Hairdresser’s Shop describes the absurd goings-on of a by no means ordinary hair salon, where men with great beards wait in vain for a shave while the barber takes a nap.

Vienna is celebrating New Year’s Eve 1913/14. It is the year, which will see the outbreak of the First World War. In Hotel Sacher, the mood is excellent; and although the political atmosphere is charged, there’s an undercurrent of hate and intolerance in the air. It is with this background that Nadja, a Russian spy, meets the Austrian civil servant Stefan. He loves her, but comes under suspicion of being an agent because of this love.

Marlene Roedern is a student at the Salzburg Mozarteum, as is her boyfriend, Hans Hellmer, a promising conductor. Strothoff, a government cultural representative, engages Hans to conduct at Hamburg. While in Salzburg, Strothoff meets Marlene, who works as a tourist guide in order to pay her tuition fees. He hires her for an all-night tour of the city. She becomes infatuated with him and he with her. Hans is not happy about this.