The story of Friedrich Dürrenmatt, master of dramatic points and surprisingly unfolding stories, depicts an early evening of Alfredo Traps, a successful business traveler. Our hero is returning from a very successful business trip on which he has negotiated lucrative contracts for his company. On the way, he misses his car. The repair will take until morning. Traps heads to a hotel, the only one in a small town. But the hotel turns out to be booked. The receptionist advises Traps that the owner, retired judge Wucht, sometimes lets rejected guests stay in the villa next door. This brings Traps not only to a beautiful old villa, but also to a strange old man's company. As they do every week, former Attorney General Zorn, former lawyer Kummer and former executioner Pilet, together with their host Wucht, host a lavish dinner party. And to make the feasting more interesting, they play trial by ordeal. The cases they usually discuss seriously are staged in a purely hypothetical way. Today, however, the old men have a unique opportunity - working with "live material", namely Alfredo Traps.
—EuroFan