An atmospherically dense time travel into the Biedermeier era on the eve of the German-Danish War. Föhr 1845: The fourteen-year-old cabin boy Ingwer Martens is found murdered at Lembecksburg, his skin covered with etched symbols. Is the South Sea islander Pana the culprit? Travel writer Johann Kohl has his doubts and helps mail carrier Mariane Brodersen, who is Pana's secret lover, to prove his innocence. Meanwhile, Ingwer's little sister Laura searches for the murderer among the wealthy bathers. However, the Föhr society is mysteriously entangled. When Laura suddenly disappears without a trace, events spiral out of control.