Self-billed as "The Internationally Ignored Songstylist," Hedwig bombards us with a dazzling array of great rock tunes, while imparting to us, the history that has brought us to the stage as we see her. Hedwig takes us on the journey of her childhood, introducing us to all the people who have touched her life along the way.
Born Hansel Schmidt in East Berlin, Hedwig grows up under Communist rule, living with his mother in a tiny flat. One night as they lie side by side in bed Hansel's mother tells Hansel of the human races' fall from grace with the gods. She tells a story of the gods cutting each human in two, so that we might be weakened. The story continues to tell how humanity has been condemned to spend eternity searching for their other half. Hansel, so inspired by this myth, spends the rest of his life searching for HIS "other half".
After being chucked out of university for delivering a paper entitled "You Kant Always Get What You Want", Hansel meets an American GI named Luther Robinson. In order to marry Luther, who promises to then take him away to the States, Hansel must have a sex change as a full physical examination is required before marriage. Hansel's mother knows just the man to do it. However, the operation goes wrong leaving the newly-named Hedwig (after his mother) with a one inch mound of flesh.
Hedwig finds her new home in Kansas City. Within a year, Hedwig and Luther are divorced and Hedwig is forced to work. Among her many lucrative jobs, she babysits for the local Army base commander General Speck. Hedwig falls in love with General Speck's seventeen year old son Tommy, taking him under her wing and teaching him the ways of rock. They begin to collaborate together, Tommy using the name Tommy Gnosis (which was given to him by Hedwig). Hedwig finally realises that Tommy is the one, her other half. Tommy however, discovering what she has to work with, runs from her, leaving Hedwig alone once again, while Tommy goes on to bigger and better things.
Over the ensuing years Tommy Gnosis becomes a rock icon, while Hedwig tours the smaller venues of the world, meeting her second husband, Yitzak, on her Croatian tour. Tommy and Hedwig meet again by chance, in a lucrative area of some forgotten city, when Hedwig accidentally gets into Tommy's limo. That night they drive around, catching up and doing drugs. Tommy is distracted by Hedwig whilst driving and crashes into a bus load of deaf children. This freak accident really launches Tommy's career and he becomes world famous.
Over 90 minutes of rock this story is told by Hedwig in monologue style. It just so happens that on the very same night Tommy is playing his set at a much bigger venue just down the road and the two end up finally being fused together to deify the gods.