Franz Sommer and his newlywed wife Helene face hard times as Sommer struggles to find steady work because of his honest, principled nature. When Helene takes a job selling cigars at a restaurant, a patron ignores Sommer’s warnings to leave her alone and ends up dying after Sommer pushes him away. This tragic moment leads to Sommer’s arrest and a three-year sentence, cutting him off from the life he hoped to build.
Inside a crowded prison, Sommer shares a large cell with four others, among them Steinau. Steinau is eventually acquitted and pledges to help Sommer’s wife while he serves his time. He works to improve Helene’s situation by offering her a better job at his business and promising friendship as they both endure the confinement. The film focuses heavily on the men’s sexual frustration and the ways they cope with the absence of women, exploring moments of absurdity—such as nude sculptures built from breadcrumbs and water, or the desperate fight for a handkerchief smuggled in during visits. A palpable, though subtle, homoerotic undertone threads through these scenes, hinting at depths not openly stated.
As the fifth act unfolds, both Helene and Sommer’s paths take sharp turns. Delirious from longing, Helene visits Steinau at night, stepping outside the bounds of her marriage, while Sommer’s relationship with fellow inmate Alfred Marquis shifts from subtext toward a fuller, more undeniable bond. During a church service, Sommer and Marquis sit side by side. The preacher urges them to “Yield not to temptation,” and Marquis covertly writes the names Franz and Alfred inside the cover of his Bible, showing it to Sommer. Sommer’s quiet reaction is telling; he remains distant as the moment passes, and the camera lingers on the tension between them.
The following day, Helene secures a private prison visit, intending to reveal Steinau’s presence in her life, but Sommer remains silent about it. Steinau then delivers a public call for reform of the penal system, yet the representative refuses to budge. Steinau also asks Helene to divorce Sommer and marry him, but she refuses, choosing her own agency over social expectations.
When Marquis is released, Sommer follows soon after. Marquis is seen by the river with another man, boasting that Sommer’s newfound wealth could be a lucrative target for manipulation; the other man cynically suggests profiting from blackmail, a threat that echoes the grim world outside the prison. The implication is that Paragraph 175 could be used against Sommer as a weapon, much as it is used against others in similar stories of persecution.
Sommer returns home to a seemingly welcoming wife, but he confesses that he no longer loves her. Helene suspects he has learned more about Steinau, but Sommer denies any knowledge. A knock at the door changes everything: Marquis arrives with a bouquet, and Helene suddenly realizes the full scope of the affair. Sommer sinks deeper into despair and tries to send Marquis away, but the emotional toll has already transformed their lives.
Back inside, Helene watches Sommer contemplate the gas valve on the heater. He confesses that he cannot go on living and urges her to leave, but she refuses. The couple makes a final, tragic choice as Sommer turns on the gas and the two die together, ending a story defined by longing, guilt, and a love that could not survive the confines of a cruel system.
