Edward Schneider is asked to sing the St Matthew Passion in Amsterdam's Concertgebouw. This is a great opportunity for him to avenge the eternal mockery to which he is subjected. However what no one sees is that the is having trouble with himself. He is not able to come to terms with the music of Bach and sing it credibly. Then there is Schneider's prostitute, Miriam. While she despises her client, she is also financially dependent on him. Miriam is also at a turning point in her life through her battles with her daughter, who does not have much respect for her mother's profession.

A female writer bases her newest book on the affair she had with her publisher in this Dutch drama. Lin is the glamorous writer who finds herself pulled out of a canal by two riverboat men. Her story is told in flashback. Her recently published book "Wildgroei"(Dutch for "Wild Growth") chronicled her one-sided passion for her publisher Emile who chose Lin's sister Marot instead.

When his wife Lydia commits suicide, succesful attorney Robert Havinck is freed from his unhappy marriage. Unfortunately, it turns out she took a complete stranger along with her, and a feeling of guilt and curiosity about her motives lead Havinck to team up with his fifteen-year old daughter to explore Lydia's final days.