This grim German psychological drama unveils the process by which an innocent man can be so damaged by interactions with the criminal justice system that the smallest incident can trigger a murderous fury. Matthias (Matthias Eysen) is already a misfit and has trouble meeting society's expectations. When he is picked up by the police for a minor crime, the brutal indifference with which he is treated wounds him in ways which are not healed by his being found innocent and being released.