An American poet living in Berlin struggling to find recognition for her work. After discovering she is a finalist for a prestigious poetry grant, she jumps at the chance to legitimize her life, racing to complete a prize-winning poem while dealing with a complicated relationship, a rival poet, the return of an ex-lover, and a dangerous case of kleptomania. An arrest for shoplifting, constant financial woes, and a mystery surrounding a missing pair of shoes add to her already long list of self-made troubles keeping her from becoming a successful artist.