[1] Peter Trepper (Vitus Zeplichal) is a young man who is serving ten years in prison for committing an impulsive murder.

Hastily, Peter marries his girlfriend Erika (Elke Aberle) and relocates to Munich, where he continues his quixotic efforts to gain approval, especially from his new wife.

He pressures himself to work long hours while spending money lavishly, leading to constant stress over debts.

When Peter loses his job, he finally snaps, striking and strangling a bartender (Janos Gönczöl) who reminds him of his own father.

The screenplay is based on a true story from the book Lebenslänglich - Protokolle aus der Haft (English: Life – Transcripts Behind Bars) by Klaus Antes, Christiane Ehrhardt, and Heinrich Hannover (Munich, 1972).