Following her parents' wishes, spirited seventeen-year-old Effi Briest marries Baron von Innstetten – a former admirer of her mother – who is twenty years Effi's senior. This marriage of prudence heralds the beginning of a humdrum life, far from home, for Effi. Innstetten devotes himself entirely to his political career, and the sleepy small town of Kessin has very little to offer in terms of variety. But then, one day, Innstetten's old regimental comrade, Major Crampas – a charming womanizer – arrives on the scene.
Julia Jentsch
as Effi Briest
Sebastian Koch
as Geert von Instetten
Juliane Köhler
as Luise von Briest
Mišel Matičević
as Major von Crampas
Barbara Auer
as Johanna
Margarita Broich
as Roswitha
Rüdiger Vogler
as Herr Grieshübler
Thomas Thieme
as Herr von Briest
André Hennicke
as Wüllersdorf
Heike Warmuth
as Hula
Mirko Lang
as Dagobert von Briest
Carina Wiese
as Frau von Crampas
