Georg, who is happy with his job as a scientist, with his loving wife and with his three children, hears one day that an accident has happened in a chemical plant nearby. All of a sudden, he finds himself face to face with one of the victims. The man, whose face has been eaten away by the sour gas that escaped from the plant, is staring at him in despair. Does Georg really see the man or is this a mere hallucination? Is he becoming insane or is he more alert to the dangers of the world than the common man?

When the strong friendship between a precocious eleven year old girl and a middle-aged family man is attacked for being unhealthy and immoral, the two run away together, but their care-free days are numbered.

The death of a young woman in a remote village in the Eifel region changes the previously tranquil life overnight. Prophecies come true, believers make pilgrimages to the grave of the dead, and the Vatican itself investigates an alleged "miracle." A priest who has secretly long since lost his faith is sent to Hamburg to follow the trail of the dead woman and is confronted with his own history as he traces her life.

A medical doctor who is regarded as a specialist in retort research has been found dead. Science journalist Vera Pukall investigates the alleged suicide and uncovers the ruthless activities of a large pharmaceutical company. She receives help from Dr. Svoboda, of all people, the group's main stockholder.

In exploring sex offenses, particularly against children, this film reveals the inner workings of the Zurich police and INTERPOL as they pursue persons accused of voyeurism, rape, fetishism, sadism, and masochism. After the criminals are arrested and given psychological tests, they may be sentenced to an institution or undergo brain surgery (with their consent) in order to be rehabilitated.