What Is Enemies, a Love Story About?
The premise of Enemies, a Love Story in 297 words, with nothing given away. The full story follows below.
In the quiet aftermath of World War II, New York City becomes a mosaic of hopeful immigrants and lingering shadows. The bustling streets pulse with the energy of fresh beginnings, yet every corner hints at the lingering ache of loss and the uneasy search for normalcy. Against this backdrop, the film unfolds with a muted, introspective tone, blending the grit of post‑war survival with moments of fragile tenderness that linger like a half‑remembered melody.
At the heart of the story is Herman Broder, a Holocaust survivor whose conscience is weighed down by survivor’s guilt. Though he tells the world he sells books on the road, his true livelihood is a discreet partnership with an opportunistic religious figure, crafting words that serve others’ ambitions. This double life mirrors his internal conflict: a man striving to rebuild while haunted by the past he can never fully escape.
His present domestic world is anchored by Yadwiga, the gentle gentile who once sheltered him from death and now stands beside him as his wife. Yet the memory of his first love, Tamara Broder, lingers like a ghost from the camps, a reminder of a life once thought lost. Adding further complexity is Masha, a fellow survivor whose bitterness toward faith and the world fuels an intense, yet precarious, affair. Each relationship is defined by layers of gratitude, longing, and unspoken histories, creating a delicate web that both sustains and unsettles him.
The film captures the uneasy dance between duty and desire, faith and doubt, as Herman navigates a world where peace feels as elusive as the promise of a new beginning. In a city teeming with possibility, his quest for personal equilibrium unfolds amid subtle humor, quiet melancholy, and the ever‑present echo of a world that has already changed him forever.
What Happens in Enemies, a Love Story?
The complete story of Enemies, a Love Story, from the first scene to the last, in 476 words (about 2 minutes). Spoilers throughout. Names in the text link to 6 cast member pages.
Spoilers ahead
In 1949, guilt-ridden Holocaust survivor Herman Broder lives in New York with his wife, Yadwiga. During the war, Yadwiga—the Broders’ gentile servant—saved Herman’s life by hiding him in a hayloft. Believing his wife, Tamara Broder, to have perished in a concentration camp, Herman took Yadwiga with him as his wife when he emigrated to the United States. He tells her that he works as a traveling book-salesman; however, in reality, he is a ghost writer for the avaricious Rabbi Lembeck. He also is having an affair with Masha, whose own experiences in a concentration camp have left her embittered about God and Judaism; she emigrated to New York with her mother and married Leon Tortshiner, an older man from whom she is estranged. Masha wants them to divorce their respective spouses and get married, but he continually puts her off.
After answering an ad in the newspaper, Herman is shocked to learn that Tamara not only survived the Holocaust, but has come to New York to be with him. Herman confesses to her both his current marriage and affair. Accepting that he has moved on from her emotionally, Tamara agrees not to pursue her claim as his wife and befriends him. In short order, both Masha and Yadwiga announce each is pregnant. Masha procures a divorce from Leon, who warns Herman that Masha is manipulative. After she swears on her own life that Leon is lying about her, Masha and Herman find a Rabbi to perform the ceremony without asking questions. Herman now has three wives.
Masha experiences internal bleeding, and the attending physician tells Herman that she was never pregnant. Rabbi Lembeck, having met Masha, invites the couple to a party. There, the wealthy Nathan Pescheles - who happened to meet all three wives by chance - reveals Herman’s polygamy to the assembled crowd. Feeling angry and betrayed, Masha leaves Herman. He becomes more religious to help Yadwiga convert to Judaism. Tamara helps him by getting him a job with a rabbi.
A few weeks later, Masha calls Herman, hoping to convince him to bolt to Florida or California with her. Admitting to Tamara that Masha’s pull on him is too great but promising to support his unborn child, Herman leaves Yadwiga for good. But before they can leave, Masha’s mother dies. Unable to pay for the funeral but realizing she can’t bear the thought of not being buried next to her mother, Masha asks Herman to commit suicide with her. Herman agrees, but when they realize neither has ever been completely truthful with the other, he leaves. Masha takes a lethal overdose of sleeping pills.
Rabbi Lembeck pays for Masha and her mother’s funeral and takes care of the hospital fees for Yadwiga. Tamara and Yadwiga raise the child, named Masha, together. Letters occasionally arrive containing only money to help care for the child.
Enemies, a Love Story Timeline: Every Key Event in Order
13 key events in the order they happen, from “War-time rescue and emigration” to “Funeral, support, and a new family”. 13 events name a place, across 2 locations.
- 1
War-time rescue and emigration
Yadwiga hides Herman in a hayloft during the war, saving his life. After the war ends, he emigrates to the United States with Yadwiga, presenting her as his wife. In New York, he secretly works as a ghost writer for Rabbi Lembeck and begins an affair with Masha.
When:WWII era Where:Europe (war-time hayloft)
- 2
Herman's double life begins
Herman tells Yadwiga that he is a traveling book salesman, masking his real job as a ghost writer for Rabbi Lembeck. He maintains the illusion of a simple marriage while juggling his affair with Masha. The tension between truth and deception deepens as his other life remains hidden.
When:Late 1940s Where:New York
- 3
Tamara returns and learns the truth
Tamara, whom Herman believed dead, arrives in New York to reconnect. He confesses that he is married to Yadwiga and has an ongoing affair with Masha. Tamara's return unsettles his arrangements but also complicates loyalties.
When:Late 1940s Where:New York
- 4
Tamara accepts and befriends
Tamara agrees not to pursue a claim as Herman's wife and instead befriends him. Her presence adds a new dynamic to the household and softens the conflict between wives. The trio navigates affection, obligation, and secrecy in their daily lives.
When:Late 1940s Where:New York
- 5
Pregnancies announced
Masha announces that she is pregnant, seeking security through Herman's partnership. Soon after, Yadwiga also proclaims her pregnancy, increasing the sense of impending obligation and control. The news heightens the stakes and deepens the emotional complexity.
When:Late 1940s Where:New York
- 6
Divorce and triple wedding
Masha secures a divorce from Leon, who warns her about Herman's manipulations. She swears that Leon is lying, and the couple arranges for a Rabbi to perform the ceremony without questions. Thus Herman effectively has three wives.
When:Late 1940s Where:New York
- 7
Masha's health scare and truth
Masha experiences internal bleeding and a physician reveals she was never pregnant. The supposed pregnancy collapses, exposing the fragility of the lives Herman has built on deceit. This event intensifies mistrust and unsettles the other wives.
When:Late 1940s Where:New York
- 8
Lembeck's party and exposure
Rabbi Lembeck hosts a party where Herman's polygamy is publicly revealed. Nathan Pescheles, a wealthy observer, recognizes all three wives and informs the crowd. The exposure deepens Masha's sense of betrayal and triggers a crisis in the marriage network.
When:Party time (time not specified) Where:New York
- 9
Masha leaves Herman
Angered and betrayed, Masha leaves Herman. The rift pushes Herman toward a more pronounced religious path to support his remaining family. The departure marks a turning point in the domestic arrangement.
When:Shortly after the party Where:New York
- 10
Religious shift and job support
Herman deepens his religiosity to help Yadwiga convert to Judaism. Tamara arranges him a job with a rabbi, reinforcing an emphasis on faith as the anchor for the household. The family begins to hinge on spiritual commitments rather than romantic entanglements.
When:Weeks after the party Where:New York
Show the other 3 events of Enemies, a Love Story Hide the last 3 events
- 11
Masha's plea to elope and the mother's death
A few weeks later, Masha calls Herman hoping to bolt to Florida or California with her. He admits the pull but promises to support their unborn child, then leaves Yadwiga for good. Masha's mother dies, forcing a difficult choice about burial and loyalty.
When:A few weeks later Where:New York
- 12
Suicide pact and tragedy
Masha urges Herman to commit suicide with her, but they realize they have not told the truth to one another. He leaves before the act, and Masha takes a lethal overdose of sleeping pills. The tragedy underscores the cost of deceit that underpins their relationship.
When:After the call Where:New York
- 13
Funeral, support, and a new family
Rabbi Lembeck pays for Masha's and her mother's funerals and covers Yadwiga's hospital costs. Tamara and Yadwiga raise the child named Masha together, with letters arriving over time to help care for her. The story closes with the three women sharing responsibility for Herman's legacy.
When:After Masha's death Where:New York
Who Are the Main Characters in Enemies, a Love Story?
8 characters, among them Tamara Broder (Anjelica Huston), Herman Broder (Ron Silver) and Masha (Lena Olin): who each one is and the part they play in the story. Every profile links to the actor’s page.
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Tamara Broder (Anjelica Huston)
Played by Anjelica Huston
Tamara returns from presumed death to claim her place in Herman’s life, but she also weighs compassion against revenge. She embodies resilience and a tension between past loyalty and present autonomy, ultimately shaping the dynamics of the tangled family.
- 🎭 Complex
- 🧭 Resilient
- 🕊️ Ambitious
-
Herman Broder (Ron Silver)
Played by Ron Silver
Herman is a guilt-ridden survivor who constructs multiple identities—husband, lover, and ghostwriter—to survive financially and emotionally. His self-serving choices reveal a deep need for affection and absolution, driving a web of deception that endangers everyone around him.
- 🎭 Complex
- 🧭 Self-serving
- 🕊️ Clever
-
Masha (Lena Olin)
Played by Lena Olin
Masha is scarred by her concentration camp experiences, seeking control and a fresh start while alternately manipulating those around her. She is intense, challenging, and driven by a longing for commitment, even as her actions undermine trust.
- 🎭 Intense
- 🧭 Manipulative
- 🕊️ Ambitious
- Y(
Yadwiga (Małgorzata Zajączkowska)
Played by Małgorzata Zajączkowska
Yadwiga is the loyal, quiet survivor who saved Herman and becomes his wife. She seeks stability and family in a precarious postwar landscape, embodying quiet endurance and moral steadiness.
- 🎭 Loyal
- 🧭 Practical
- 🕊️ Determined
- LT
Leon Tortshiner (Paul Mazursky)
Played by Paul Mazursky
Leon is Masha’s older husband, cautious and wary of the unfolding deception. He represents the respectability and restraint of a conventional life, even as his trust is tested by his wife’s actions.
- 🎩 Respectable
- 🧭 Wary
- 🕊️ Reserved
- RL
Rabbi Lembeck (Alan King)
Played by Alan King
Rabbi Lembeck conducts the polygamy ceremony and later supports the tangled household. He embodies religious authority negotiating between tradition and human frailty.
- 🕍 Authority
- 🧭 Moral complexity
- 🎭 Religious figure
- MM
Masha's Mother (Judith Malina)
Played by Judith Malina
Masha’s mother anchors the family’s emotional world and social duties, bearing loss and the burden of care. Her passing becomes a catalyst for the characters' shifting plans and responsibilities.
- 👵 Matriarch
- 🕊️ Loss
- 🧭 Traditional
- NP
Nathan Pescheles (Peeheles)
Played by Phil Leeds
Nathan Pescheles is the wealthy observer who helps reveal Herman’s polygamous arrangement to the social circle. His appearance exposes the fragility of the trio’s lies and the cost of public reputation.
- 💼 Wealth
- 🗣️ Gossip
- 🎭 Social pressure
Where and When Is Enemies, a Love Story Set?
Enemies, a Love Story is set in New York City and United States (1949). Here is why the time and place matter to the story.
When
1949
Set in 1949, the film depicts the immediate postwar era when survivors rebuild lives in America. Guilt and memory from the Holocaust shadow everyday life, influencing marriages and loyalties. Social norms and religious expectations drive tensions around remarriage, fidelity, and honesty.
Where
New York City, United States
New York City in the late 1940s serves as the backdrop for a Holocaust survivor's tangled personal life. The urban setting gathers survivors, émigrés and a cosmopolitan social scene, where money, reputation and faith intersect. The city’s institutions and communities shape the characters’ choices and destinies.
- 🗽 New York City
- 🕰️ 1940s
- 🌐 Immigrant experience
What Are the Themes of Enemies, a Love Story?
3 ideas the story keeps returning to, among them Love and Betrayal, Guilt and Memory and Identity and Assimilation.
-
01
Love and Betrayal
Love is complicated by desire, fear and necessity as Herman maintains multiple relationships. The polygamous arrangement is navigated for emotional and financial security, not romantic purity. The story shows how affection can coexist with deceit, impacting all involved.
-
02
Guilt and Memory
The Holocaust memory casts a long shadow over the characters, coloring their decisions and concealments. They hide truths to protect themselves or others, creating a web of guilt that persists into their present lives. The narrative explores whether forgiveness is possible when the past keeps resurfacing.
-
03
Identity and Assimilation
Characters juggle Jewish, immigrant and American identities within a bustling New York setting. Religious and cultural expectations push choices about marriage, faith and loyalty. The pursuit of belonging tests personal happiness and integrity.
What Kind of Film Is Enemies, a Love Story?
Dark in tone, with steady pacing and a moderate story, going by the plot summary.
- Tone
- Dark
- Pacing
- Steady
- Story
- Moderate
- Intensity
- Medium
- Ending
- Bittersweet
A darkly melancholic dramedy that explores the profound guilt and complex romantic entanglements of a Holocaust survivor, creating a tense, emotionally heavy atmosphere punctuated by moments of wry humor.
- melancholic
- anxious
- guilt-ridden
- bleak
- sardonic
- burdened
- holocaust survival
- post-traumatic stress
- polygamy
- guilt and identity
Content notes: suicide, holocaust trauma, false pregnancy.
Quiz
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