Tove Andersen's problem ends in Christianshavn's moat, and this is where the film begins. The body has a noose around its neck. The homicide division is called in, and it turns out that shortly before her death, she had undergone an illegal operation. An unscrupulous womanizer had abandoned the young student from the countryside when the relationship had consequences. The doctor rejects her after a beautiful lecture on the sanctity of life, and she must therefore rely on "private" help.