The brewery owner Ernst Kolbe is found dead in his house. His body was discovered by the real estate agent Sabine Brand and the Schabinsky couple, interested buyers of Kolbe's house. The investigators find it strange that Kolbe had the house secured with locks shortly beforehand, even though it was supposed to be sold. During Vera Lanz' conversations with Kolbe's daughter Julia and further rummaging through the victim's past, inconsistencies arise that make Vera doubt Kolbe's identity. In addition, the victim's brewery was close to bankruptcy. Unlike her father, Julia Kolbe wanted to sell the brewery to the businessman Max Freisinger, who has a not inconsiderable interest in the brewery's property and was forced to come to a conclusion quickly.
When Vera finally uncovers Ernst Kolbe's connections to the BND and even to the Schabinsky couple, she and her team are suddenly confronted with the political past of their murder victim, which they gradually have to shed to solve the case.