The series begins with a scene from the funeral of Ministerialrat Josef Steinberg. The course of events that led to the violent death of the ministerial councilor is then described in the form of a retrospective. Jealousy, hatred and greed are the motives that many of those involved have against the Ministerialrat. On the one hand, he wants to separate from his wife Waltraud and at the same time legalize his relationship with his lover Nico. Nico is being blackmailed by Francesco in connection with his former relationship with Minister Schnitzler. But the Ministerialrat also endangers a secret plan of his friends, who want to enrich themselves with land speculation: Steinberg is in favor of the environmental impact assessment of a motorway projectresponsible. The real estate agent Georg Schneider received the insider information about the planned motorway through his intimate relationship with the minister. Ultimately, however, the minister also gets wind of his lover's business and sees the environmental impact assessment as an opportunity to burst the bubble. At the funeral of Ministerialrat Josef Steinberg, the wives of the speculators are arrested because the contracts are in their names. In addition, Maria Schneider is suspected of having shot Steinberg. His real killer, Minister Schnitzler, on the other hand, is treated as a candidate for chancellor. In addition, the longer affair of Maria's only 16-year-old son Simon with Waltraud comes to light and the fact that both are expecting a child.