Jens Christian er en strømlinet karrieredreng og nyudnævnt formand for Flygtningenævnet. Arbejdet er livets omdrejningspunkt og alt er godt, indtil en bortadopteret søn melder sin ankomst, og en usædvanlig vanskelig asylsag lander på skrivebordet. Pludselig er det ikke rigtige valg ikke soleklart for Jens Christian, der står splittet mellem forpligtelser og følelser.
The city is gasping for air in the scorching summer heat; everyone is under suspicion; a persistent detective superintendent is burrowing for the truth. A fiercely penetrating drama about a mother's love for her autistic adult son, who is suspected of murdering a local girl. The mother knows her son could have committed the murder, but she conceals her knowledge, and gradually becomes entangled in a thicket of lies. How far is she prepared to go to protect her son who is helpless in so many ways? Does she have it within her to give up the only person she loves?