A corpse is washed on the North Sea. The dead man is Alexander (August Zirner), the husband of the beautiful, mysterious Bettina (Ina Weisse). Although the marriage was unhappy and her relationship had long been on ice, she had always kept him during his severe kidney disease. The couple had a summer house on the island, in which she retired for several months. In the end, she also lived with her lover Tom (Jürgen Vogel). The marriage of Tom and Ulrike (Nicolette Krebitz), who lead a pension on the island, therefore goes through a deep crisis.