While the economy is thriving in the Federal Republic, daily life for many residents of the island city of West Berlin in 1964 is challenging. News of escape attempts from East Berlin is a regular occurrence, and the feeling of being trapped weighs heavily on many older individuals. The number of suicides in the city is alarmingly rising. When the 73-year-old wealthy Ludwig Wittenbeck is found dead in his home near Fehrbelliner Platz, it seems obvious to Chief Detective Otto Kappe and his colleague Hans-Gert Galgenberg that they may be dealing with a suicide. Or was it an accident? Or even murder? What is certain is that Wittenbeck died from carbon monoxide poisoning and that the gas boiler had been tampered with, allowing the highly toxic town gas to escape freely. The former co-owner of a pharmaceutical company had more than enough enemies.