[1] Young lawyer Konrad von Seidlitz is celebrating his engagement with Cornelia, the daughter of justice minister Friedemann Volkerts.
He hasn't paid his parking fines for two years, and as a publicity stunt to boost his career, he insists on being sentenced to jail for two weeks as punishment.
He manages to make a few enemies, however, and one day prior to his release, two hundred grams of cocaine are found in his cell during a search.
Instead of being released after two weeks as planned, he is sentenced to two years without parole for drug trafficking as a result of a plot by his law firm partner Axel Häring, who is having an affair with Seidlitz's fiancée.
As he gradually learns how to adapt to his new situation, he befriends another prisoner, Viktor Czernetzky, who helps him uncover the intrigue and restore his reputation.