Young lawyer Alexander Zabel has been pressured by the head of his law practice into defending the indefensible: Klofft, a lying, power-obsessed industrialist who has been accused of wrongfully dismissing his mistress. She is 34, he 78 and a despot who has always had his way - now wheelchair-bound and dying of cancer. Alex must not only deal with a hopeless case, but also with his growing empathy for a repulsive client and his sexual attraction to Klofft's elderly wife.