"How can I be good when everything is so expensive?" Sen Te, the poor whore of Setzuan, asks herself, when the gods point to her as the only "good person" who will be able to save the earth from disaster. In trying to find a balance between her noble character and the violence of everyday life, and also to "escape" from those who exploit her and bleed her dry, Sen Te invents an imaginary person, cousin Soui Ta. Whenever her kind heart makes her a "victim", she impersonates the strict cousin, who imposes his views with stubbornness and harshness, thus becoming the triumphant "victimizer". In this way she is gradually led to some form of discord and estrangement. Bertolt Brecht chooses a Chinese fairy tale, "a theatrical parable", in order to present a universal question, which is always tragically to the point: Is it possible to be kind when living in a world of malice and exploitation?