The crime series is completely tailored to the quiet, humorous and ironic nature of the Saxon actor and cabaret artist Wolfgang Stumph, who here as chief detective Wilfried Stubbe moves at the beginning of the series from Dresden to Hamburg to investigate there. In his cases, which lead him through all layers of the Hamburg society, he is supported by his colleague Bernd Zimmermann (Lutz Mackensy). While this is mainly focused on facts, Stubbe also likes to trust his gut instincts, which in most cases make a decisive contribution to the case. The private life of the investigator, who lives with his daughter Christiane (Stephanie Stumph) and his aunt-in-law Charlotte (Margret Homeyer), also occupies an important place in the series and, above all, addresses the big and small problems between the generations.