

Chief Detective Bernd Flemming, Inspector Mariam Koch and Chief Inspector Max Ballauf have their hands full while the carnival is in full swing in Düsseldorf.

Joest is kidnapped after a rendezvous with his lover Ute Vonhoff; his driver is killed in the attack. A kidnapper likes to humiliate Joest. A renewed attempt to blackmail the family convinces the inspector that Joest is keeping a secret.