Despair

Hermann Hermann lives in Berlin during the Weimar Republic. He is a refugee with a Baltic German father and a wealthy Jewish mother, and he inherits a chocolate business. As the Great Depression bites and anti-Jewish hostility grows, his prospects shrink and he dreams of escaping.

Hermann meets a man he believes to be a Viennese psychiatrist but discovers he is actually a life insurance salesman. The salesman persuades him to buy a policy, which will become the financial backbone of Hermann's drastic plan. This encounter plants the seed for a dangerous scheme.

Hermann experiences dissociative episodes, sometimes leaving his body to watch himself with his wife Lydia. These experiences foreshadow his willingness to manipulate reality for his escape. They also deepen his sense of detachment from his own life.

After watching a film featuring a doppelgänger, Hermann becomes obsessed with the idea of a look-alike who could replace him. He encounters Felix, an unemployed drifter, and suspects he might be his double. Felix agrees to consider the role for payment.

Hermann promises Felix a substantial lump sum if he acts as his double. Felix, though not obviously a perfect match, goes along with the plan, intrigued by the money and the opportunity. The arrangement marks a turning point toward a drastic, criminal scheme.

Hermann has Ardalion write a letter demanding money to leave Lydia and go painting in Switzerland. He presents the letter to the insurance salesman as proof of blackmail against him. The scheme is designed to justify a dramatic withdrawal from his life.

Hermann tells Lydia that he has a troubled twin brother who is contemplating suicide and that he will switch clothes with him to fake his own death. He plans to lie low in Switzerland while the insurance payout covers their escape. Lydia’s role is to be part of the ruse and the eventual reunion.

Hermann lures Felix to a secluded woods, dresses him in his own clothes, shaves his facial hair, adjusts his hairstyle, and then shoots him dead. The murder completes the core portion of the impersonation plan. He now must assume Felix's identity and passport to vanish.

Dressed as Felix and carrying Felix's passport, Hermann travels to a Swiss hotel. He reads newspapers confirming that Berlin police are seeking a murderer and suspect him. The escape hinges on maintaining the deception while on the run.

Hermann moves from village to village, trying to stay ahead of the search for the murder. The net tightens as the police close in and the public begins to doubt his alibi. His desperation grows with each passing day.

Ardalion spots Hermann and signals danger, alerting the authorities. The pursuit shifts into a final chase as armed police close in. The hunter becomes the hunted in a tense confrontation.

Facing capture, Hermann explains that he is an actor making a film and asks the officers to stand aside to let him continue. The film-like ruse collapses under the weight of reality as police close in. The story ends with the outcome left implied rather than neatly resolved.