Munich. Johannes Merveldt moves to work in the University of Technology's virology department under Professor Behringer. Johannes pals up with an Algerian in the same department, Farid Madani, who's working on the same project but from a different angle. What Farid doesn't know is that Johannes was approached earlier by the German secret service to report on Farid, who they suspect is a sleepersleeper terrorist. While hanging out, the two men soon get to know a waitress, Beate who's been recently bruised by some affair. Strain between this trio appears when Beate falls for Farid and Johannes gets jealous. She later has sex with Johannes, but the relationship doesn't lead anywhere. Later, Johannes is sidelined at work by Behringer, and, after Farid doesn't support him, Johannes betrays his friend to the secret service. When a terrorist bomb explodes in the city, Farid comes under suspicion from the authorities, leaving Johannes in a quandary about what to do vis-a-vis his spying assignment.