In 1928 Berlin, Franz Biberkopf is released after serving four years in Tegel prison for the murder of his girlfriend Ida. After settling into his old apartment, he visits Ida's sister Minna and rapes her. In a flashback, Franz kills Ida with a cream whip after correctly suspecting she's about to leave him. Franz encounters and drinks with old friend Meck, where he meets Lina Przybilla, a young Polish woman, who moves in with him. He receives notification from local police that he's barred from certain districts and surrounding municipalities, under threat of a fine or imprisonment. Placing himself under the supervision of a charity called Prisoners' Aid, to which he must report once a month while remaining in employment, Franz is able to stay.