In the throes of a life crisis, culture journalist Paul Jensen (Moritz Bleibtreu) flees Berlin to bring fresh impetus to a Russian tabloid magazine in Moscow run by his mentor, Alexei Onegin (Rade Serbedzija). Paul’s métier is gossip about the rich and famous of Russia, and he easily helps restore the mag to its former glory and a higher circulation. Everything seems fine again, and his life is like one big party. Then he meets a beautiful Russian activist, and the cynic falls head over heels. Paul only has eyes for the mysterious Katja, who even manages to persuade him to run a politically motivated obituary in his magazine. This action has consequences, triggering a series of rapid-fire events in Paul’s life. Paul finds himself left to his own devices and on the run in the merciless Russian metropolis. He soon realises that he has to face his own past in order to solve a political conspiracy. He hasn’t got much time as his pursuers are close on his heels.