Harry Oswald, a 50-year-old Berlin architect, has been seeing his mistress regularly and discreetly for a long time. Britta Burkhard is considerably younger than him, and they meet in a rented apartment. Everything has to be kept secret, because Harry has been “happily” married to his wife Marion for many years, and the marriage provides him with many social advantages. Apart from which Britta is married to Harry’s best friend, the building contractor Benno Burkhard... and Harry would face financial ruin without the business which Benno puts his way.
It is therefore no wonder that Harry begins to panic one fine day when Britta dies immediately after they have made love. It would surely be impossible for him to explain the situation to Benno, Marion and the police without completely destroying his comfortable existence. Which is why Harry decides on the spur of the moment to keep Britta’s death a secret.