A German Marquise has to deal with a pregnancy she cannot explain and an infatuated Russian Count.

After building a dam, closing off the Zuiderzee from the sea, it effectively turns the former sea into a lake and the fishermen call it "dead water". They desperately attack the dam with spades and even explosives, culminating in tragedy.

After the death of a prostitute, the police uncovers a web of espionage, betrayal, murder and sex.