Detectives Eva Saalfeld and Andreas Keppler are called to a crime scene on the outskirts of town. There, waste contractor Harald Kosen was killed in the bedroom of his house. Though much cash was stolen from the wall safe, the brutality of the murder suggests to the detectives an act of anger or hatred. The first suspicion falls on the former company partner Kosens, Christian Scheidt. His daughter was killed in a traffic accident by Harald Kosen a few years ago. Did Scheidt want revenge? Kosen's wife Astrid, who has a heart condition, has spent the last few days in the hospital and is out of the question as the perpetrator. Her adult children Sofie and Patrick no longer live in the house. Patrick is disappointed in his family who didn't protect him when he was in trouble.
After a juvenile sentence for robbery with serious bodily harm, he is purified and apparently seeks reconciliation with his family. Sofie's husband Frank is employed in Kosen's recycling company. Professionally, things are not going well for him - his stepfather wanted to throw him out of the company after an attempt at blackmail. Frank's marriage to Sofie is about to end because she always stuck by her father more than he did. After a desperate call from Sofie, the inspectors soon find the young woman dead. When the commissioners want to arrest her husband Frank, they come across another victim.