Anna (Susan Lothar) and Georg Schober (Ulrich Mühe) arrive with their son, Georgie, at their lakeside holiday home. Through their neighbour, Fred, they meet Paul (Arno Frisch) and his friend Peter (Frank Giering). However, once inside Anna and Georg's house, Peter and Paul begin to torture them, betting that in twenty-four hours they and Georgie will be dead. When Georgie manages to escape to Fred's house, he discovers that the neighbour and his wife have already been murdered: it seems that Paul and Peter are serious about continuing their 'game' to the finish.