Submission or rebellion? This question is posed by Siegfried Lenz in his novel. It is also faced by the two brothers Frank and Willy Wittmann. Frank is a pond keeper. One day, he sees his existence and life’s work threatened by rivals who, however, believe they are in the right. Frank refuses to accept this fact. He rebels. His brother Willy is an internationally recognized tea taster. When he discovers that his judgment is declining, he resigns from his company and withdraws. Nevertheless, he does not want to accept the loss of his ability and investigates the causes. In doing so, he must experience that there is rebellion that is pointless.