Based on a true story, The Harmonists portrays the rise and fall of a successful vocal group in Germany that was disbanded in 1934 as part of the mounting persecution of Jews. The Comedian Harmonists did comic and romantic songs in intricate harmony, and were extremely popular, but as the Nazis became more powerful, the group were forbidden to sing songs by Jewish composers--and finally, because three of their members were Jewish, they were banned from performing in public.