Aurora, the daughter of a religious leader, enters into a secret affair that changes her life. She tries to please everyone, but when it's time for a lavish wedding anniversary celebration, an uninvited guest arrives.
December 1924, Karl Denke fails to smite Vincenz Olivier with a pickaxe. He would have been his 31st victim. The film thus reconstructs the mind, motivation, and psyche of its main character in intense dialog between him and the inspector.