In the winter of 1991, at a concert in Krakow, an older woman with a marvelously pitched violin meets a fellow musician who is instantly captivated by her instrument. When he asks how she obtained it, she reveals the remarkable story behind its origin. Imprisoned at Auschwitz, Daniel feels his humanity slipping away. Treasured memories of the young woman he loved become hazier with each passing day. When Daniel's former occupation as a crafter of fine violins is revealed to those running the concentration camp, his very existence moves from being merely precarious to under immediate threat.