Episode list

When Cologne Chief Inspector Marie Gabler arrives in Hengasch, she sees astonished faces. Nobody was expecting her. As the new duty group leader, she is supposed to turn the sleepy precinct into a proper and functioning crime station. What her transfer and separation from her husband Klaus have to do with it, she prefers to keep to herself. Marie is amazed to see that her village colleagues prefer a more comfortable life: Police Sergeant Heino Fuß loves club life and, with the help of childminder Heike Schäffer, looks after his son Otmar as a single father. And police officer candidate Jennifer Dickel prefers to train with her service horse for the mounted squad. Unfortunately, Marie's new quarters on a campsite, which Lydia Aubach rents to her as the "Chalet Schwanenstein", are just as improvised as the station. When an unknown person digs up a corpse there at night and disappears with it, Marie's instinct is aroused. However, Heino and Jenny react in disbelief - a murder in Hengasch? And the other villagers also respond to Marie's zeal with grim smiles. Thanks to Dr. Bechermann's clues, the evidence actually points to a real corpse. Marie's first mission takes her to the "Waldhaus Amore", the local brothel.

Marie is settling in: And because her place is so uncomfortable, Jenny, Heino and even the ever-suspicious Heike help to set up the chalet. Could it develop into a small friendship? The only unpleasant interruptions are the messages that her still-husband Klaus sends from Cologne. But Marie is only distracted for a short time by this, because her full attention is occupied by the dead man who is found on the picturesque Hercules rock. Despite Heino and Jenny's doubtful looks, Marie immediately knows: no accident or suicide. But Friedrich Vettweiß, influential landowner and potato mogul, is trying with all his might to hinder the investigation. Together with his three dissimilar daughters Sieglinde, Annabell and Cilena, all of whom are named after potato varieties, he does not want to jeopardize his upcoming prestigious social hunt. While Marie tries to find out what else the family is hiding, an abandoned car reveals the identity of the dead man - it is ex-con Henri Kemper, who was on the run from a biker gang. When a shot is fired, Marie believes she is on the right track and uses Jenny so skillfully that she is at her best.

There is a lot going on in the village, because the annual Hengasch cake crown award ceremony is coming up. Marie already knows the village a bit better and is on first-name terms with the snack bar owner Mehmet. She boldly passes off Mehmet's "Appeltaat" creation as her own in the competition, because he himself, as a newcomer, is not quite confident. What Marie doesn't know is that Heike will not let any competition, and certainly not her, stop her from remaining cake queen. In the middle of the opulent test meal, a body is discovered. The old village school teacher Mrs. Würffel lies mummified in Müller Schlichting's grain silo. This murder - because Marie considers it a homicide - is bad enough, but it makes the participants even more uncomfortable when they find out that the flour for the Appeltaats came from the deadly silo. Marie cleverly finds out that the strict Mrs. Würffel not only tormented entire generations of Hengasch students, but also had a dispute with pig farmer Gisbert Cremer. Then Jenny is also knocked down from behind. Could that really have been Gisbert Cremer? As events unfold, Marie realizes that the whole of Hengasch is in the murderer's crosshairs. Now she must search for the truth deep in the village's past with Heino and Jenny.

During her morning jog, a bullet missed Marie by a hair's breadth. Shepherd Kappes, surrounded by six dead sheep, had thought Marie was a wolf. But according to the tracks, there was no wolf at work here. While Marie investigates rabies to be on the safe side, the case is clear for Kappes and the village leaders Zielonka, Arthur Brandt and Heike Schäffer: The "Hackestüpp" is on the loose, a local werewolf who, according to legend, comes to the village every 20 years and who can be none other than pig farmer Gisbert Cremer. And because the visitation is supposed to take place today, on St. John's Night, Kappes, Zielonka and Arthur Brandt don't waste any time and stick to Gisbert's heels. While fear of the Hackestüpp is spreading in Hengasch, and prayers are already being said in Pastor Puttermann's church, Marie is relying on the voice of reason. Monster, werewolf or Hackestüpp - she wants to help Gisbert Cremer and prove to the village that all this is nothing more than hocus-pocus. But the power of faith and the magic of St. John's Night hold strange experiences in store not only for the people of Hengasch, but also for Marie.

Marie is not at all happy when her hippie parents Uschi and Rainer show up at the door unannounced. Not only does half of Hengasch marvel at the two weirdos, but they also interfere in Marie's life without asking - just like they used to. That's why she's actually quite happy that Uschi and Rainer will soon be travelling south. The only strange thing is that both of them suddenly disappear in impassable terrain. Marie follows them and ends up in a tight-knit hippie community that has been living undetected in the forests around Hengasch for years. Uschi and Rainer want to spend their retirement here. Marie quickly realises that the unidentified dead man found on the country road this morning must be from the commune and that the forest dwellers are not all as peaceful as they seem. Disguised as a dropout, Marie investigates, much to the annoyance of her surprised parents, and not only has to find a murderer, but also delve deep into the old family conflicts with Uschi and Rainer. Meanwhile, Zielonka is planning his upcoming award ceremony for 40 years of leadership of the arbitration office with great pomp in the police station. This provokes resistance from Heike, who feels that she is not sufficiently appreciated as his deputy.

Marie has received a message and is allowed to return to Cologne. But Jenny is bitterly disappointed because she needs Marie as a role model. When the owner of a horse farm, Alwin Lippes, is found dead in his horse walker, Marie is determined to solve this last case, but is happy to let Heino take the lead in the investigation. He dreams of a promotion through Marie's departure and is encouraged in this by Heike as much as possible. Suspicion initially falls on Alwin's intern Jonas, Mrs. Runkelbach's nephew. While Heino follows this lead, Marie investigates the world of horse breeder Ortlinde Deinert, who plays Wagner operas to her sensitive animals and sells the foals of her noble mares to international customers. Was her dispute with Alwin, which arouses Marie's interest, really a long time ago? Meanwhile, when Heino makes a mistake on the Jonas trail, he fears losing his career opportunity and tries to cover everything up. But he fails to see the danger that this puts Marie in. For Marie, saying goodbye to Hengasch is rather bittersweet. Despite looking forward to her old life, hasn't she grown fond of a few people in Hengasch? She quickly brushes that aside when she receives a second call from her boss.