In this film Jürgen is Dieter Brodschella, called "Ditsche" by his friends. He serves a prison sentence for trying to kill a certain Kresch, a rich man, who owns a lot of land and houses. Ditsche is convinced, that Kresch caused the death of his girl friend. In the opening scenes, the prisoners work cutting peat (this shows how old the film is, nowadays peat swamps are nature reserves!). Ditsche escapes and goes back to his home village Niederau, somewhere in Schleswig-Holstein, to finish off Kresch.
The police suspect, that he would do that and send Kommissar Fincke from Kiel to Niederau to catch Ditsche and to protect Kresch. Ditsche, who knows the area very well, hides in an old gravel-pit and calls his sister Ina to send out his two old mates Wolli and the "Taubstumme" (a deaf person) to bring him clothes and food.
When Fincke arrives in the village, he soon finds, that the people, including the village policeman, won't help him with the investigation. Ditsche is not universially liked, he and his mates were a rather wild lot, but they are all related to each other in the village and will stick together against an outsider. Ina, who is married to the pub-owner, first refuses to let a room to Fincke but then relents, probably to have an eye on the policeman.. Fincke goes around trying to get his bearings and starts questioning people, among them Kresch, who tells him his version (also the official one) of the girl's (Irmgard) death: He picked her up in his car on a New Year's eve, in very cold weather walking home to the village. She then joined the lively party at his house, got drunk and was found next morning drowned in the lake behind his house.
Meanwhile Wolli and der Taubstumme help Ditsch to set up house in the gravel pit. At one time, they also bring along Tippi, Irmgard's younger sister, who seems to have a crush on Ditsche. Wolli has brought Ditsche's gun and Ditsche sends his two friends to observe Kresch. He is going to shoot Kresch next morning. Which he tries to do, but misses Kresch. An infuriated Kresch declares to Fincke, that he is useles and that he, Kresch, will find Ditsche himself to kill him, before Ditsche gets another chance to shoot at him. Ditsche milks a cow in the field next to the gravel pit, but the owner of the cow, an old man from the neighbour village, is not as dumb, as Ditsche believes. He has heard about the escaped prisoner, noticed that his cow has been milked dry and reports this to the police. The village policeman in Niederau tries to ignore this, but Fincke has overheard the conversation and goes off to the gravel pit. Wolli tries to warn Ditsche, but his motorbike breaks down.
Fincke and Ditsche play hide and seek in the gravel pit and Fincke slides down a slope and gets buried in sand. Ditsche digs him out and saves his life. He even calls the police anonymously later on to send an ambulance to the gravel pit. He himself is off to another hide out in a ruined farm. Fincke is brought to the physician in the Niederau, who seems to be glad to have a chance to talk. Kresch has recently raped a young girl, the daughter of Frau Borchers, who cleans for Kresch but the mother pretends, that it was some unknown tramp and refuses to accuse Kresch. He suspects, that Irmgard, Ditsches dead girlfriend, was a similar case. Ditsche used to be a very wild young man until he met Irmgard, who brought out the better side of him.
Fincke tries to question Frau Borchers and her daughter but without success, because she lives in one of Kresch's houses for a low rent and couldn't afford to move elsewhere. Kresch has her in his power this way and also uses her to find out in the village, where Ditsche might be hiding. Fincke as well as Kresch try to find Ditsche, Kresch because he wants to kill him, Fincke, because it his job to prevent both of them to murder each other. And at last, Fincke's assistant arrives to help him. Ditsche has to change his hideout a second time and is only just prevented by Tippi from killing Kresch. Tippi, like most of the villagers think, that Ditsche should give himself up to the police, before he completely ruins his life by committing a murder.
After a lot of hide and seek, Kresch and an accomplice have Ditsche cornered in an old barn, they shoot at him and put fire to the barn. At this stage Fincke and assistant arrive and a lot of shooting starts. It turns out, that Ditsche has not burned to death after all, but crept out of the barn unnoticed with his gun and now also joins the general shooting match. Kresch is killed in the end, but it is not clear by whom, there will have to be a laboratory analysis of the bullet in his heart. Ditsche has run off again, he is now considered by the authorities in Kiel as a highly dangerous criminal, they won't listen to Fincke, who knows, that Ditsche just wanted to kill Kresch. Dozens of policemen are sent for a search of the whole countryside. Fincke and his assistants wait in Ina's pub in Niederau for the laboratory report. When it arrives is clear, that Fincke shot Kresch, Ditsche is not a murderer and can safely give himself up to serve the rest of his prison sentence. Fincke tells this to Ina, quite rightly assuming, that these news will reach Ditsche, wherever he is at the moment. And he is right: while the police are scouring the countryside, Ditsche walks calmly through Niederau to the pub to give himself up to Kommissar Fincke.