A curse lies on the legendary photograph from 1898, which shows the legendary Empress Sissi naked on her deathbed: everyone who looked at it paid with their life shortly afterwards. When Charlotte Binder, descendant of the court photographer at the time, came into possession of the photo plate, the eerie series of deaths continued. Her husband Navid, an unsuccessful writer, becomes the victim of a bloody robbery and murder - and the picture of Sissi is gone. Special investigator Haller and his partner Niko suspect that someone wants to make a million-dollar business selling it on the black market. The slick art dealer Gansmeir, who deals in Imperial and Royal memorabilia, comes under suspicion, as does the craftsman Meindl, who had an affair with the victim's wife. While Haller believes he can get hold of the perpetrator via the valuable piece, Niko wants to stay away from the fateful recording. As he feared, there will soon be another victim.
—ARD Das Erste