Max Ballauf and Dietmar Bär have to solve an act of sabotage with deadly consequences: the failure of the cooling system in the renowned Kehrmann-Bredel Institute for Plant Research has cost the life of a young laboratory technician. The economic damage caused to the high-tech company is immense, according to the head of the institute, Prof. Dr. Otmar Kaltenbruch (Klaus Schindler: "Tatort - Rabenherz", "Romy") and his deputy Dr. Christoph Rubner (Misel Maticevic: "In the Face of Crime", "The Vow") for the record. The valuable laboratory samples that the genetic engineers kept in the affected freezer have been destroyed.
The institute has often been the target of protests by militant opponents of genetic engineering: the commissioners interrogate the activist Alexander Geyda (Tom Schilling: "Tatort – Where is Max Gravert?", "Bloch – Death of a Friend"). Or is the perpetrator to be found in the institute itself ? The competitive and performance pressure that the individual laboratory groups are exposed to is extremely high. Funding and reputation are only enjoyed by those whose research results can also be published. Great ambition also characterizes Dr. David Prangel (Ole Puppe: "Kommissar Stolbert", "Krupp - a family between war and peace") and his colleague Lara Bahls (Luise Berndt: "You can never be sure", "Commissario Laurenti").
They work with genetically modified plants that are to be used to produce medicines. Meanwhile, Max Ballauf is challenged by his private life: he is surprised to receive a visit from 14-year-old Finn Weber (Kai Malina: "Dasweiße Band", "Soko Leipzig"), the son of an old friend who settles in with him. While he is taking care of the young runaway, his colleague Schenk is already investigating a new crime scene: another employee of the genetic engineering institute has died.