The disciplined ballerina Vivian Baker rehearses each day for her ballet career at the theater. For the usual leisure activities of a young woman she has no time. She practices and rehearses all day long. She never goes out does not drink alcohol. She is ambitious and hard on herself, because the competition is fierce. One day she is rehearsing a particularly difficult section of the ballet "The Nutcracker".The conductor plays faster with each repetition, so that her spins have to be faster and faster. When he rushes her too much she collapses. Everyone is upset and the stage director interrupts the horror rehearsal.The next day the conductor invites Vivian out to the most expensive restaurant in town.This changes her life. She learns to live, to enjoy life, and she gets to know what luxury is. Luxury becomes her new drug.