25 defendants, 300 trial days and a legal scandal that has gone down in the history of jurisprudence: In this thrilling legal drama, bestselling author Ferdinand von Schirach transports the so-called "Worms Trials", a German legal scandal from the nineties into the present. The result is a gripping, current legal drama about hysteria in social media, collective anger and how the hunger for revenge can overlook the victims.
A judicial scandal erupts in the fictional small town of Ottern when a pediatrician discovers evidence that a girl has been raped.
The growing scandal now finds 26 adults accused of running a child pornography ring. The local prosecutor and an anti-abuse activist work to put the accused behind bars.
Ottern is full of journalists covering the case; Schlesinger and his associate, the mysterious `Fixer' Azra, check into a local hotel.
One of the defendants in the abuse trial, a 75-year-old woman, is found hanged in her cell; Schlesinger meets the activist, Reuth, for a drink and they have a heated discussion about child protection and ethics.
Fueled by social media, public indignation rages, calling for the resurrection of the death penalty; a psychology expert testifies that the children's statements are credible, but Schlesinger isn't convinced.
At the trial, Schlesinger reveals inconsistencies in the paediatrician's findings and the children's statements about the alleged abuse.
As the case reaches its climactic conclusion, Schlesinger receives an anonymous cryptic tip that threatens to tear apart the prosecution's case; Schlesinger receives shocking news about his client and a close ally.
