For Cathrin Blake, alias Désirée Nosbusch, her good reputation as a criminal psychologist is at stake in the fifth "Ireland thriller": Due to her report, a convicted murderer receives leave from prison, which she uses to escape! Director Matthias Tiefenbacher unfolds the social taboo of domestic violence and the consequences for the victims in "Family Ties". The award-winning cameraman Hanno Lentz uses the rugged beauty of the "Green Island" to embed the nuanced characters in atmospherically dense images.
Abbie Campbell (Luisa-Céline Gaffron) is in prison for murder, she stabbed her sleeping husband. The background to the brutal act was never clarified, Abbie had refused any statement at the time. Criminal psychologist Cathrin Blake (Désirée Nosbusch),who has to prepare an expert opinion on the young woman, is convinced that Abbie was in an exceptional situation at the time and that she no longer poses a threat today. Cathrin manages to secure parole for the convicted murderer so Abbie can see her baby daughter Maisie (Molly McCann) again. Maisie lives with Abbie's younger sister Erin (Shauna Higgins), her husband (Muiris Crowley) and her mother Kate (Denise McCormack). Abbie's reunion with Maisie takes place at her mother's home, a cool woman who only lets her daughter feel rejection. The visit is catastrophic: Abbie flees with Maisie. Was Cathrin so wrong in her professional assessment? While searching for Abbie, Cathrin uncovers a terrible family secret.