The ominous dynamic, created by silence and lies, is now dragging more and more of those affected in the small town with it. While some deal with their guilt, others try to get away or look for a scapegoat. Michelle's search seems to have come to an end, all traces have disappeared.

While Janine's missing person case becomes increasingly mysterious, more trouble is brewing in Forstenau: Both her friends' parents and the police are entangled in a web of secrets. Manu (Johanna Ingelfinger) almost dies of an overdose and Laura Wagner (Saskia Rosendahl) turns her back on her parents' house after a fight with her father (Michael A. Grimm).

Michelle finds the dress last worn by her daughter Janine just over the Czech border. The police finally begin to search for the missing woman and investigate. Another lead takes Michelle to one of the building sites that Manu's father Leo Essmann (Sebastian Blomberg) runs in Forstenau.

Michelle fears for her missing daughter Janine and sets out on her own to find her. What has happened to Janine? Michelle is surprised when she learns that her daughter Janine has dropped out of the apprenticeship she had arranged for her at a local building firm. Janine has recently moved into her own apartment. When it's Janine's birthday, Michelle comes to visit her with her younger daughter Evi. She talks to her about her redundancy, but Janine is curt.