The film follows the dance group of Pina Bausch in Germany, Italy and Avignon in France during her most recent European tour. It shows the working atmosphere, the presentation, the intense rehearsals, before and after each performance. An attempt is also made to talk privately to Bausch about her childhood, her debut as a choreographer, her artistic standpoint, and her relationship with her dancers. It is a fascinating confrontation between two major European artists of the seventies and eighties.

Chantal Akerman was born in Brussels in 1950, of Flemish descent. Influenced by the work of Godard, and later Michael Snow, she has been making films since the age of 18. A severe formalist and profound investigator of human experience, she has been hailed by feminist critics and others who enjoy the challenge of (apparently) "difficult" films.