The Stuttgart fire brigade has already had to fight two fires that were caused by arson in the last three months. A man dies in a third fire following the same pattern. This gets Bienzle on the scene, who immediately quarrels with the investigators of the arson. The dead man is a Romanian who has obviously acquired dubious merits as a former Securitate employee and most recently worked as a money collector for building contractors with the harshness usual for this job. Was a murder committed here and disguised as arson resulting in death? However, the series of arson attacks shows more and more that very special expertise was required.
Is the arsonist one of the ranks of the fire brigade? Here, too, Bienzle stabs into a wasps' nest when he confronts the responsible fire-fighting manager with his suspicions. But Bienzle is not distracted by officials. While solving the case, he encounters a family drama.