Not everyone deserves a second chance. The experienced investigator Wallat is sure of that - and certainly not the child murderer Hagenow, who is released after 15 years in prison, although he is still considered dangerous. Wallat takes over the management of an LKA team that monitors the potential repeat offender. His "unofficial" assignment does not fit into any service manual: Wallat is supposed to catch Hagenow in the act - in good time, of course - in order to put him behind bars forever. Meanwhile, the ex-convict moves into a room in the house of the idealistic village pastor Berkenbusch and starts a job at the local sawmill. The LKA team serves him around the clock. When Wallat loses sight of him during a night walk, a nightmare begins the next morning: Max, the eight-year-old son of Berkenbusch's housekeeper, has disappeared without a trace.