Heinz Strunk's new book tells a sort of northern German "Death in Venice," though the temptations are of a less refined nature than those faced by his colleague from Lübeck. A bourgeois hero, a lawyer and writer named Roth, takes a longer break in Niendorf: he wants to write an important book, a reckoning with his family. In the carefully chosen location - in the petty-bourgeois Baltic seaside resort, he is unlikely to encounter his peers - he soon falls into the clutches of a demonic spirit, despite his painfully banal demeanor: a beach chair rental operator who also owns the local liquor store. What begins as discomfort and annoyance gradually evolves into a chance community and eventually necessity. A third character, the girlfriend of the liquor dealer, joins them, who is in every respect not a dream woman - at least not initially. By the end of this summer story, Roth has completely lost touch with his old world; he has become a completely different person...