One of the most famous German crime stories. Who is the dead man lying under the much-discussed pear tree, and what does the cart drifting in the Oder have to do with the missing traveler from a Krakow wine company? Once set in motion, the cycle of deception and self-deception becomes a deadly trap. Abel Hradschek, the innkeeper of a village in the Oderbruch, has become the subject of gossip since the traveler from the Krakow wine company disappeared. Yet nothing is more fickle than public opinion, and while some dream of an execution, others condemn the court for unjustly prosecuting an honorable man. Everything is discussed and applauded, every hint can lead to a revelation, and every fantasy of revenge can take shape. Abel copes with the sudden death of his wife by making occasional visits to the entertaining Berlin.