Friedrich von Hardenberg, called Novalis, watches scenes from his life in a sort of dying vision. His father convinces him to study law and take on a public office out of duty to the family; his uncle tries to pass on his beliefs about the poetry of war. But Friedrich cannot come to terms with these life philosophies.

Friedrich's relationship with young Sophie von Kühn loosens the bonds of Earth's gravity and sets his soul free to write poetry, until her early death shakes him to the core. Only through the Romantic symbol of the blue flower, the image of their undying love, is union with the ideal possible.

This mystical, metaphysical film blends the biography of the German Romantic writer with symbolic imagery of landscapes and art.