Death is nothing unusual in a retirement home, not even in the Ludwigshafen Villa Grünwald. However, Marina Cortese's life did not come to a natural end, she was pushed down the stairs on purpose. Lena Odenthal's investigations begin with a surprise: in Grünwald, the inspector stands in front of her aunt Emma Odenthal. The two have not had any contact since a dispute many years ago and Emma, who is now paralyzed, still refuses to communicate with Lena. With this attitude, she not only paralyzes her reunion with Lena, but also the investigation, because Emma was the best friend of the dead woman and found the body. After all, Lena learns that Marina Cortese had an impressive series of love affairs. On the night of her death, she wanted to meet a new suitor.
But nobody seems to know this admirer. The residents of Grünwald live happily ever after, but often not quite in reality. It was not an easy task for Lena and Kopper to get usable statements from the old people. Director Karl Kranz certainly doesn't help, he would like to send the police away again right away. Kranz, even at the age of his protégés, sold his company years ago, bought the villa and made Grünwald his purpose in life. Protecting his project is his main goal. When the inspectors begin to concern themselves with Willy Vogelsang, the childishly strange house factotum, Kranz becomes aggressive and surprisingly gives Willy an alibi.
Emma could tell more about Willy because she saw him by the body, he confided in her that he is the one Marina wanted to meet. But Emma believes the frightened Willy that he is not the murderer. She wants to protect him and find out on her own who killed her friend. She begins to sound out her roommates. Henk Blumenfeld, for example, a former lover of Marina's who is now courting her. In her youth, Emma was Lena's great role model, she wanted to emulate her, become independent, strong, and self-reliant. But Emma deeply disappointed her niece when she refused to discuss her youth under fascism. The close relationship was abruptly interrupted and now Emma is not ready to resume it.
Torn between the investigation and the desire for a reconciliation, Lena tries to find out why her aunt is in a wheelchair. But Emma's paralysis has no organic causes, it is caused by a blockage in her soul. What triggered it is unknown to everyone in the home. Emma knows how to keep her secrets. Too good to keep, because while Lena and Kopper find clues that Willy is the culprit, Emma ignores the danger she has put herself in.