Hannes Mohnstein sits at the city police station and reports that he has found two dead bodies at home: Franziska, his wife, and Paolo, his stepbrother. He continues to live his usual life, but in a state of suspension, until the day he collapses at the sight of Franziska's red evening dress blowing on the line. Memories come flooding back. The cultured, sensitive, and somewhat awkward Hannes would have liked to become a pianist, but out of discouragement, he joined his father's business. In his mid-thirties, to his own astonishment, he becomes the husband of the admired Franziska, who, in stark contrast to him, drives fast and enjoys being taken around the bend. However, shortly after their honeymoon, estrangement begins, and Hannes must watch as his "dark angel" increasingly moves toward his stepbrother Paolo. The dark.