At the University of Strasbourg in 1772, young Johann Wolfgang Goethe fails his doctoral examination in law and, despite wishing to be a poet, is sent by his father to work in the Reichskammergericht, the imperial law court in the small town of Wetzlar. Set to read old files by his grim chief Kestner, he is befriended by another junior, Wilhelm Jerusalem, who takes him to a dance. There he sees Lotte Buff, the daughter of a widower living in an old manor house outside the town, where she looks after her seven younger siblings. Developing a closer friendship with the attractive and lively young woman, he one day encounters her on a country road. A sudden rainstorm forces the two to seek shelter in a ruined castle, where they make love. Meanwhile, Kestner has been negotiating with her father, who is delighted to see his impoverished family helped by the marriage of his eldest girl to a distinguished lawyer. Though not the least charmed by Kestner, for the sake of the family, Lotte reluctantly agrees he may marry her. Unaware of her relationship with Goethe and without mentioning her name, Kestner asks him to be best man. Goethe agrees heartily and even suggests some good phrases that he could use in his wedding. Accepting Kestner out of duty, Lotte writes to Goethe to tell him their affair is at an end. Before he gets the letter, he sets out for her house with a present, only to find her engagement party in full swing. Returning despondent to his lodgings, he then sees his roommate Jerusalem shoot himself in despair over his hopeless love for a married woman. After briefly contemplating suicide himself, he returns to work and publicly insults Kestner, who demands a duel. Given the first shot, he misses, and Kestner fires wide and has him arrested for illegal duelling. In jail, Goethe turns these events into a story he calls The Sorrows of Young Werther and sends the manuscript to Lotte as a farewell gift. She sees its qualities and, without telling him, takes it to a publisher. Once Goethe is released from prison, his father takes him home to Frankfurt, where the book has become a sensation and the young author a celebrity.
Historical accuracy
Some of the film is accurate biography, some is drawn from the novel and some is fictional. Though Goethe did not receive a doctorate, he earned a licentiate, which entitled him to practice, so he was not a failure at his legal studies. His relationship with Lotte was never more than platonic. He did not fight a duel with Kestner and so was not jailed for it. On the contrary, Goethe had great respect for Kestner.
