Elly Beinhorn was a daring aviatrix who flew around the world in 1932, making headlines wherever she touched down. A free spirit who had announced to her incredulous parents at age 21 that solo flight was her dream, she had already survived a crash while flying from Berlin to Africa. Taureg tribesmen guided her to safety through the Sahara.

In 1936, she married Berndt Rosemeyer, the greatest German grand prix driver of the 1930s. Although she seemed fearless aloft, she was terrified by the speedy driving in difficult conditions that gave him his nickname of Nebelmeister (Fogmaster).