The Finger (6/49)

The Finger (6/49)

Along with their beer and the traditional roast pork, the people of Munich also appreciate high-class gastronomy. The list of the ambitious star chefs in the "metropolis with a heart" is impressive... A party is in full swing in the gourmet restaurant "La Belle Vigne" for master-chef Edgar Kaufmann is celebrating his 50^th birthday with selected guests. Among them public prosecutor Dr. Maier-Knecht, restaurant critic Burkhard Faber and his brother Norbert. Edgar thanks his enchanting wife Ann, who shares with him the passion for their "child", the "Belle Vigne" and keeps a sharp eye on the finances. Working in the background are the chef de cuisine Jaap van Halen, kitchen boy Simon, the Algerian cook Ali Mourad and the waiters. As the highlight of the evening dessert cook Milena Stepanovic rolls in the birthday cake complete with sparklers . A few hours later the festive mood has turned. Aggression lies in the air. When Burkhard Faber, the gourmet critic and old friend of the Kaufmanns, reveals to the host that the "Belle Vigne" is no longer on his "list of the ten best restaurants", it comes to a showdown. The evening ends in turmoil. Shortly afterwards the critic vanishes. The next day, while clearing up the kitchen, Simon finds a severed finger and asks a girlfriend to take it to the  murder squad. Detective Inspector Ivor Batic is just starting his holiday and does not wish to be disturbed in his DIY ambitions. But his colleagues Franz Leitmayer and Carlo Menzinger just can't stop pondering over the case of the severed finger. Does the finger belong to the vanished restaurant critic? Leitmayr and Menzinger persuade Batic to take on a temporary job in the "Belle Vigne". They are convinced that this will grant them insights behind the scenes of the upmarket restaurant, while Batic as a dedicated hobby cook also hopes to gain further insight into the secrets of the exquisite recipes. Yet despite the investigations of Leitmayr and Menzinger there is still no sign of the vanished critic. Meanwhile Batic involuntarily gains insight into the tough life of the restaurant staff. He makes friends with his compatriot from Croatia Milena Stepanovic. Yet he still has no idea of the danger she is in...