Henry Angst receives a farewell letter in which an indescribably cheerful death is promised, which calls into question his life as he has lived it up to now. Thereupon he leaves his wife and quits his job. In his hotel room he gambles: shooting craps, and, accidentally, makes the right choice. Next day he meets Rita, a young lady he is attracted to, by her contrariness.

Henry remains realistic. Rita knows no limits. Both of them try to understand their paradoxical behaviour. To be or to be alone is no question for her at all. Rita leaves her husband and drives with Henry towards the sea, in the direction of their last adventure. They agree that love passes away through lack of distance and simultaneously prevents a love story from ending on the floor or in bed. However, desperate and insecure, both of them search for their own person within the other partner. This insecurity and the possibility of discovering the terrible truth is avoided by them by their stepping beyond - as if in a cheerful game - the edge of their lives.