Forensic biologist Inga Ehrenberg is so absorbed in her work at the Forensic Medicine Institute that she doesn't initially notice how lonely she is after her divorce a few years ago. It is only when her father claims that she has a half-sister and a falconer asks her to take care of a young falcon that she finds herself in a whirlwind of long-hidden, painful feelings. She begins to tame the falcon, convinced that the bird will never leave her.

Wild times are behind them. Now married, Gino and Benjamin live an idyllic family life with their adopted daughter Lina. Both are doting parents, and deal easily with her medical issues and occasional symptoms of illness. So when her symptoms become increasingly severe, Gino suspects she is being poisoned. Inspired by real events, Munchausen syndrome by proxy: and the killer is in the house.

The EU has fallen apart, and in Germany, far-right populists are forming a new government. War is imminent. Jonas has deserted; he and his sister go into hiding at the home of their father, Stuber, whom Jonas has not seen since childhood. But there, the situation escalates. A catastrophe occurs even before the war has begun.