Professor Leaf, an absent-minded poet with a prejudice against the sciences, is forced to face the fact that his son is a math prodigy with little artistic talent of his own.
Benson, is a Casanova who tricks women into having sex with him before leaving them. He is content with his game until he meets Jamison, a real operator who poses as an exiled prince and not only gets women to share his bed but also to give him money to help him fund his supposed counter-revolution.
Otto Friedrich Dennert is a celebrated veteran of the Essen police force. While investigating a series of killings of women he reaches retirement age. The case is taken over by a new team, including Dennert's son Harry. Convinced that they have arrested the wrong person, Dennert begins investigating by himself with assistance from the criminal underworld.
Intersecting lives on an island holiday: A lawyer anxious he caused a youth's death.An engineer suspecting his wife after being teased by pranksters.A young man falling for a nurse.A Frenchman seeing his wife wooed by a local.
Poet Hermann Lons is turning 40. On his birthday, his childhood love, Rosemarie, unexpectedly to visit her cousin (who just happens to be Hermann's wife). Rosemarie and Hermann walk through the Luneburger Heide every day and it isn't long before their old love flares up again. Hermann is rather annoyed about that and asks the woman to leave. His decision, however, brings him no joy. Luckily, he's able to deal with his grief by writing poetry, which brings him some success. But now his life is one big, melancholy drama, punctuated by too much alcohol. When Hermann eventually learns that Rosemarie has gotten engaged to Hermann's hunting buddy, Prince Niko, he realizes he wants to ask his wife for a divorce and chase after his former lover. Luckily(?), Rosemarie puts the brakes on the whole thing saying it's too late for them.
