Professor Dr. Burkhardt is a much celebrated surgeon. Obsessed with his career, he is always available when an unexpected operation comes up. That his personal life is suffering because of this obsession is something the successful doctor doesn't notice. His wife Vera, who, after the death of their three year old son, is always alone anyway, feels increasingly neglected. And the love, which she apparently isn't able to get from her husband, she seeks from Dr. Groone, her husband's assistant.