Irene Wagner, the wife of prominent scientist Albert Wagner, finds herself blackmailed about her affair by her lover's jealous ex-girlfriend. The plot, an experiment in causing fear, drives her into a rage.

Right under the nose of her prominent German scientist husband, Professor Albert Wagner, Irene has been having an intense extramarital affair with ambitious nobody Erich Baumann. But little by little, as guilt and fear creep up on her, months of endless fabrications take a toll on her clandestine relationship; unable to keep living a lie, Irene decides that she wants out. Nevertheless, the unscrupulous, opportunistic, insolent redhead, Johanna Schultze, has other plans for Irene: she is bent on destroying her perfect marriage unless she pays her in cash to keep her mouth shut. There is no turning back, and Irene finds herself caught between a rock and a hard place. Can Irene afford to give in to fear?—Nick Riganas