The bank is located in the square of a small, idyllic market town, and its manager, Anders B. Schmidt, is seriously ill in the town hospital. At the beginning of the story, he is quietly passing away. In the wealthy neighborhood of the market town, we find the bank manager's villa, which has been his pride and joy for many years. He leaves behind a deeply grieving widow and four adult children. It soon emerges that the respected citizen had a love affair before he got married, and this causes outrage.