At a celebration that descends into drunken adultery and chaos, tormented, frustrated and immensely charismatic genius composer Brahms confronts his destructive sexual past. He emerges from the evening a sadder and a wiser man, but not before ruthlessly turning the spotlight  on the strengths, weaknesses, foibles and obsessions of the close friends and associates within his circle in a passionate but somehow farcical bull-in-a china shop gallop through their more delicate susceptibilities.