The road to the opera stage is long and demanding. The Dutch National Opera Academy is a logical preliminary step, but annually admits only six students. The film follows four young women with great ambitions, and strong voices, on their path to the stage. The very ambitious Swedish Elisabeth is already a first-year student at DNOA, but wants to start a professional career as soon as possible. The American Maya - who has Russian roots - has been working at the famous Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg for five years and auditions for the Dutch academy, just like the Dutch Kiki and Ella. The young women are filmed during the preparations, the nerve-racking auditions, workshops and the eventual, inevitable, emotional selection talks. They also explain what singing means to them. In addition, images of the jury deliberations give insight into the considerations for the tough choices being made.
