We are in NRK's Nine O'Clock News studio at Marienlyst. As usual, Kjell Tue is at the microphone, and in the control room, Totto Osvold is at the helm. Bank manager Hugo Oswald is to be interviewed live, but suddenly collapses dead in the studio, poisoned in front of an open microphone. Police detectives Helmer and Sigurdson are assigned to the case. Pensioner Brockmann, the murdered bank manager's neighbour, also becomes heavily involved in the investigation.