In 1966 Hildegard Knef returns to Germany. While she prepares for a concert she thinks back to the beginnings of her career. Flashbacks show how she became an actress and then started a second career as a singer.
Kirk Honeycutt's wrote "Hilde" was an "outstanding biopic about Hildegard Knef with a captivating performance" by Heike Makatsch but also felt the screenplay was "at times superficial".[2] Variety's Derek Elley attested Heike Makatsch a "remarkably cohesive performance" which was true to each "physical mannerism" of Hildegard Knef. "Easy on the eyes but rarely going more than skin-deep" was his roundup.[3]