Richard Papen comes from a humble background. When he is able to attend college on a scholarship, he is immediately fascinated by the world that is foreign to him. He is particularly fascinated by a group of young students with whom he not only learns Greek but also celebrates in a relaxed manner. But he soon senses that tensions lurk beneath the surface of an unshakable friendship and that a terrible secret is weighing on his friends - a secret that is also drawing him more and more into its dark, murderous undertow.