Senator Isaak Kohler shoots and kills Professor Winter in a crowded restaurant, while Winter is dining with the struggling idealistic young lawyer, Felix Spat. Kohler puts up no defense and is sentenced to twenty years. Kohler then gets his daughter Helene to pay the reluctant Spat to reinvestigate the case, on the assumption that Kohler is innocent. The newspapers pick up on this and begin to question whether Kohler was wrongly convicted.

Maximilian Schell
Isaak Kohler

Thomas Heinze
Felix Spät

Anna Thalbach
Helene Kohler
Norbert Schwientek
Stüssi-Leupin

Hark Bohm
Prof. Adolf Winter

Ulrike Kriener
Ilse Freude

Suzanne von Borsody
Daphne Winter

Martin Semmelrogge
Lucky

Teresa Harder
Giselle

Wilfried Klaus
Gefängniswärter Moser

Mathias Gnädinger
Police Chief

Dietrich Siegl
Dr. Benno
René Scheibli
Franz
Ellen Umlauf
Maid of Kohler

David Ryall
englischer Minister