Herman Brandt, a handsome but overly conceited actor, lives in the same apartment building in Vienna as Carola and John Pointer and their 18-year-old daughter Mariette. One day, as Carola leaves to walk her dog, Brandt sides up to her and proposes she “visit” him at his apartment after everyone has gone to bed. Shocked and offended at his brazenness, she complains about him to the building manager, who orders Brandt to leave. He refuses, so the Pointers decide that they will move out instead. While they’re packing, the police show up at their apartment with some bad news—Brandt has been found murdered, shot in the head, and since they were known to have quarreled with him, they are suspects. However, Inspector Muller, the detective investigating the murder, discovers that there is more to this case than meets the eye.