This first film by choreographer Pina Bausch reflects her method of working as developed with the Wuppertal Theatre of Dance during the 1973/74 season. The film does not tell a story, but is made up of various scenes put together as a collage with scenes set in different locations, such as the woods and fields around Wuppertal, the city centre, the suspension railway, a carpet shop, a greenhouse and the rehearsal room. The futility of human activity and the search for love make up the film's central theme set against the strains of a Silician funeral march. Filmed on location in Wuppertal, Germany, between October 1987 and April 1989.

Performed by the Wuppertaler Tanztheater: Mariko Aoyama, Anne Marie Benati, Benedicte Billiet, Rolando Brenes Calvo, Antonio Carallo, Finola Cronin, Dominique Duszynski, Mechthild Grossmann, Barbara Hampel, Kyomi Ichida, Urs Kaufmann, Ed Kortlandt, Beatrice Libonati, Anne Martin, Dominique Mercy, Jan Minarik, Helena Pikon, Dana Sapiro, Jean-Laurent Sasportes, Mark Sieczkarek, Julie Ann Stanzak, Mark Alan Wilson, and others.