The attraction between Orson Mahler, a world-famous orchestra conductor, and Isabella, a young married woman from Austria, leads us into the world of classical music in New York City. In a Manhattan coffee shop, the maestro explains, "Isabella, conducting is nothing else but making love to music. No detail should be left unattended to bring out the best in music...or in a woman. If a piece of music is worth performing and a woman is worth making love to, it's worth giving it your best." Isabella's recollections of the maestro go back to Austria, where her mother was a fan of Mahler's and once met him after a concert. Isabella now lives in the U.S. and is happily married to James, who loves her deeply. When Isabella first meets Mahler, she is disappointed by his looks and his lack of warmth, but soon she becomes captivated by the splendor of his music and his enigmatic personality. Isabella enters Mahler's entourage as an unwelcome outsider. Joan, the manager of Mahler's chorus openly claims the maestro's heart, and Paula Mahler stands firmly by her husband. Mahler's stockbroker, Beverly, turns into Isabella's greatest rival. It seems that her only friend and ally is Matthew, a young pianist. For Isabella the music, the maestro and the man become one and she struggles with an impossible attraction. Gradually, Mahler draws Isabella into his world of splendor, secrecy and surprises. James is unaware that his wife has become entrapped in a web of forbidden romance and the shadows of the past...