Summary
Ines Erdmann, a mathematics and physical education teacher at a high school in Cologne, is popular with her students and is happily married to the journalist Boris. The two have been married for 14 years. Luckily, the only thing they still lack is a child. Ines in particular makes this difficult to achieve. Despite the confidence of her gynecologist, self-doubt gnawed at her. When 16-year-old Clara joins her class, Ines can hardly believe her eyes: she is convinced that she recognizes the girl as her daughter, whom she gave up for adoption after the birth. Her insecure living situation was the reason for the step. For all these years she had suppressed this painful chapter of her life and never told Boris anything about it either. Her best friend Simone, the only person who knows about the story, urgently advises Ines to keep her distance from Clara and, if necessary, even to apply for a transfer. But Ines ignores all concerns and tries to get close to the young woman, who grew up as the child of a wealthy doctor couple and knows nothing about the adoption. Since the teenager has problems at school, the adoptive parents ask Ines of all people to tutor their daughter. Contrary to official regulations, according to which she is not allowed to give her students private lessons, she agrees - the desire to be close to her daughter outside of school outweighs all the threatening consequences. A trusting, friendly relationship quickly develops between the two. Clara finds understanding and the ease with her teacher that she misses so much in her overcautious parents. The longer Ines keeps up the game of hide-and-seek, the more complicated the situation becomes. While Boris suspects an affair in view of his wife's frequent absences, Clara's adoptive mother reacts incomprehensibly to the teacher's increasing interference in family upbringing issues. When Ines finally dares to take the decisive step and tells her daughter the truth, the girl's world collapses.
