After an elaborate application process, Empress Elisabeth of Austria hires Countess Irma as her new lady-in-waiting and takes her to her summer residence on Corfu. As the two women become closer there, this soon leads to tensions back in Vienna.
In view of her success, Stella mutated into a cynical, critic-resistant alpha woman who has banished her family to a sideline. Shortly after her 60th birthday, she has an accident and can suddenly hear what those around think of her.