Are we ever free from what has been? "Residual Heat" tells a moving story from the Mecklenburg province that could take place anywhere and at any time: Marianne's father has died. From her own adult life, the young geologist returns to where her mother and brother still live, in an old house by the lake, somewhere north of Berlin. She only plans to stay a few days, until after the funeral. But what she thought she had long left behind catches up with her. A family story full of silent tragedies. Her father was a broken tyrant, her mother endured and remained silent. Layer by layer, Marianne uncovers the truth. It becomes clear how injuries from war and oppression shape personal destinies. Kerstin Preiwuss does not allow bitterness to have the final word. With great understanding of the human drama, she tells a story of wounds.