Forensic biologist Inga Ehrenberg is so absorbed in her work at the Forensic Medicine Institute that she doesn't initially notice how lonely she is after her divorce a few years ago. It is only when her father claims that she has a half-sister and a falconer asks her to take care of a young falcon that she finds herself in a whirlwind of long-hidden, painful feelings. She begins to tame the falcon, convinced that the bird will never leave her.

GDR, August 1989: Hanna and Andreas became a target of the secret police and had to give up their plans for their future studies and desired professions. Instead, they face arbitrariness, mistrust and reprisals. Their only chance for a self-determined life lies in fleeing across the Baltic Sea. Fifty kilometers of water separate them from freedom - and only a thin connecting rope around their wrists saves them from absolute loneliness.