Much has changed for Simon Polt, a retired gendarmerie inspector. He's embarking on new career paths, and his future with his long-time girlfriend, Karin Walter, suddenly took on a completely new perspective. Polt has little contact with the police, who now watch over the small villages in the Wiesbach Valley—his only friend is Norbert Sailer, a law enforcement officer who's just his style. But the discovery of a stranger's body completely disrupts Simon Polt's quiet world: No one claims to have known the dead man, but some seem to know more about him than they're willing to admit to the police.

Real estate speculator Albert Hahn is found dead in his cellar. He died of fermentation gas poisoning. The doctor in charge assumes it was an accident. But Polt knows that the dead man was hated in the community. He suspects that the murderer wanted to make the death look like an accident. Many of the winegrowers had a motive. After a long investigation in the wine cellars, he discovers that all the cellars are connected by holes. Polt doesn't want to leave the feeling that it was a murder. As he drinks some wine with his friends, they all confess to the crime. They had all poisoned Albert Hahn with the fermentation gas together, but only one of them wants to take all the blame, as the rest have children and wives. He commits suicide and leaves a confession behind.

The film is based on the figure of the police inspector Simon Polt of the Austrian author Alfred Komarek.

Policeman Simon Polt is on cloud nine. He finally has the village teacher Karin in his arms. But soon he's forced to look into the depths of humanity again: the priest's cook has been found dead. Was it the gourmet critic? The feisty woman had poured soup over his head the night before, in shock at the sight of an illustrious dinner party...

Most of the time, Patrick Angerer enjoys a pretty laid back view of life. So he's not especially impressed by the protest action his workmates are taking against the strict wage targets set by the new management of Falkendorf steel plant. But things suddenly begin to get interesting for Patrick when his ex, Barbara Brossman, still the great love of his life, is sent to Falkendorf as the union's lawyer: as she's brought along her new partner, Patrick has his work cut out trying to convince Babs that his life doesn't entirely consist of football and trips down the pub.

After nearly two decades of wedded bliss, Rosemarie and Hubert Haller's marriage is a shambles. While Rosemarie begins an affair with Bernd, a self-proclaimed guru, adventuresome charmer Hubert finds refuge in the arms of Monica. At the last moment, Hubert and Rosemarie realize that they still have a chance for a future together.

Gendarmerie inspector Simon Polt in the Weinviertel region finds it too much of a coincidence when crook Riebel is killed in a motorcycle accident and his friend Willi is found dead on the same day. But the residents of the otherwise peaceful Lower Austrian wine village make Polt's investigation anything but easy.

A film about news, life and death. Before the media became so prevalent, we were concerned about our immediate neighborhood. At the end of the day, news was the subject of our conversations, but now it's possible to converse with someone at the other end of the globe. We do it all the time. It's simple. The world has become one big neighborhood. Now Headline News has replaced the back fence. That's the news service of the eigthies. It's a new idea and a new approach.