Fania Fenelon is a Jewish cabaret singer in Paris during the Nazi invasion. Fania and thousands of other Jewish and political prisoners are sent to the Auschwitz death camp. She and a group of other classical musicians are spared from death in exchange for performing music for their captors. They are also ordered to play for the thousands being herded to the gas chambers, a 'humane' means of easing the condemned into the next world.

Lola Delaney is a vulgar, dumpy, less-than-bright "shotgun bride" who is married to recovering alcoholic Doc Delaney. Their unhappy marriage is made even more unhappy when a sexy stranger, Marie, rents a room from Lola. Lola is a tiresome creature who never stops talking, especially about the "imminent" return of her runaway dog Sheba. Doc is having enough trouble staying from the bottle and resigning himself to his marriage without the curvaceous...