IN A YEAR OF 13 MOONS presents a darkly comic, melodramatic study of a life in the midst of transformation and discovery. Erwin Weishaupt (Volker Spengler) desperately loves his girlfriend, and becomes devastated when she casually remarks that she wishes he were a woman. This comment sets Erwin on a journey to Casablanca, where he superficially transforms himself into a woman, Elvira. Upon her return to Frankfurt, Elvira wanders the streets, in search of both her past and her future. This film carries even greater emotional weight because Fassbinder began production only a short time after his own lover's suicide.