In 1927, 21-year-old drama student Harry Frommermann (Ulrich Noethen) comes up with the idea of creating a singing troupe in the spirit of "The Revellers," an American a cappella group. He teams with Robert Biberti (Ben Becker), a brash son of a famous singer who helps him recruit others from the Berlin music scene: Roman Cycowski (Heino Ferch), a former opera singer from Poland; Erich Abraham Collin (Heinrich Schafmeister), a multilingual performer; Ari Leschnikoff (Max Tidof), whose beautiful tenor voice puts women into a trance; and Erwin Bootz (Kai Wiesinger), who serves as the group's pianist.
Director Joseph Vilsmaier (Brother of Sleep) presents the difficulties involved in the transition as the six men put aside their egos and become the "Comedian Harmonists." Their light-hearted songs and vocal acrobatics give their audiences a magic carpet ride away from the economic woes of Germany. But when the Nazis seize power, the Harmonists are told they cannot perform in public unless they get rid of the three Jewish members. At the height of their popularity, these artists are forced to deal with Hitler's racist policies. This German film, based on the true story of this legendary vocal ensemble, shows how politics colors everything: no creative soul can ever be apolitical.