After Dr. Karbaat's death, it's revealed he secretly used his own sperm to impregnate patients. The documentary follows those affected as they grapple with the trauma of their uncertain genetic origins and changed identities.

The revelation in 2017 that the late Dr. Karbaat clandestinely used his own semen to inseminate over 65 of his patients shocked the world. SEEDS OF DECEIT is a vivid portrayal of how that happened and how it haunts today those affected: the emotional trauma of coming to terms with a changed, uncertain genetic origin.

SEEDS OF DECEIT tells the story of the most renowned fertility doctor in the Netherlands during the 70s and 80s, Dr. Karbaat, who clandestinely used his own semen to impregnate over 65 of his patients. At the time, Dr. Karbaat was regarded a progressive pioneer, as he not only helped heterosexual couples, but also gay couples and single mothers. In SEEDS OF DECEIT, former patients, mothers of "Karbaat children", discuss their longstanding wish for a child, and how it made them close their eyes to an often horrific and unbearable insemination treatment, which in cases included sexual intimidation and even abuse. Decades later, Dr. Karbaat is sued based on the suspicion that he used his own semen to impregnate his patients. A month before the trial, the doctor passes away. SEEDS OF DECEIT shows how the Karbaat children deal with the newly gained genetic and emotional heritage they now have to grapple with.

The documentary shows how "Karbaat children" meet each other for the first time and share their conflicting feelings, on the one side experiencing belonging and recognition, while on the other, also the fear of inheriting genetic family traits from their biological father. Viewers learn that Dr. Karbaat was not the only one with a desire to procreate in abundance. In the third episode, we meet Karbaat's favorite donor, who yearned for immortality by producing over 200 donor children, and see how other doctors around the world are sued for malpractices similar to what Dr. Karbaat did. Through the story of Jan Karbaat, SEEDS OF DECEIT discusses larger themes such as the nature versus nurture debate, the desire for immortality, and the moral questions around anonymous sperm donation.