On Wednesday night, violent criminal Karl Schanz escapes from Hamburg-Fuhlsbüttel prison. Disguised as a policeman, he manages to get to the apartment of young Christine, the wife of his best friend and former fellow inmate. Christine has no idea that Schanz has already stabbed a man to death during his escape. His goal: by taking the senior public prosecutor hostage, he wants to extort a million marks and a flight to South America...