Bonn during the early 1950's: In his exile, idealistic delegate Keetenheuve had high hopes for a better post war Germany. However, he gets quickly disillussioned in the still young Bonner Republik.
Dutch police officer Van der Valk is pulled away for a private investigation for a friend of the chief of police to find the missing junior manager. When he gets to know his woman, he is fascinated by the thought of running away with her.
Every day they clean the dirty windows of their cars from the filthy film that has formed overnight. Measuring stations call a low smog warning. But one day a soccer player collapses on the pitch with breathlessness.