Shortly before the end of the Second World War, the young Jewish woman Elsa is deported to Auschwitz. Her encounter with the unscrupulous concentration camp doctor Erich Hauser changes her life in a cruel way. She kept the secret for almost 35 years, until one day she met her tormentor again in a New York restaurant. Elsa's daughter Leni only learns about her family's tragic history, which began with human experiments in Auschwitz, from her mother's diary: To bring Dr Hauser to justice for his crimes.