Only a year ago, the famous opinion researcher and PR strategist Vera Maxheimer settled her institute in Saarbrücken, not least at the gentle urging of her old friend and fellow student Marion von Pahl, an entrepreneur worth millions. For Vera, the grande dame of German opinion polls, the circle closes: because the brilliant scientist grew up in Saarland, the child from the humblest of circumstances also began her studies in Saarbrücken. In Vera's institute, politicians and business bosses, church leaders and trade union officials hand in hand. The analyzes of the demoscop are considered the best in the industry. But there is a tiny black spot in Vera Maxheimer's past.
As a student, she worked for a few weeks as a call girl in a posh brothel near Saarbrücken. Now, 35 years later, small film recordings from that time are emerging. A student tasked with gathering material for a biography of Vera Maxheimer is murdered. Shortly thereafterbegins an extortion. A second murder occurs... Chief Inspector Max Palu from the Saarbrücken Criminal Police Office begins his investigations. He quickly finds out that old, blurry pornographic images are not the demoscop's problem. In the short weeks that Vera Maxheimer was working in the sex business, the head of the establishment disappeared without a trace - presumably the victim of a murder that has not yet been solved. Does Vera Maxheimer have anything to do with this case? Palu investigates in the demimonde of his hometown, but also in the environment of Vera Maxheimer.
In doing so, he has to realize that behind the scenes at the Maxheimer Institute, a power struggle over the successor to the boss has already broken out: what role does her ambitious daughter Anette play, how loyal is the managing director Ernst Wohlfahrt, what does her old friend and fellow student Marion von Pahl know ? Little by little, Palu uncovers the true secret of Vera Maxheimer. It's in the political milieu. It's about manipulated numbers, about maintaining power at any price...