Rudolf (Christian Friedel), along with his wife Hedwig (Sandra Hüller), their four children, and their dog, lives in a spacious, meticulously clean house with a well-tended garden and greenhouse. They celebrate family dinners and dream of vacations in their beloved Italy. On weekends, they enjoy kayaking or walking in the woods with friends. However, disturbing noises and sometimes desperate screams often emanate from the walls of their home, because Rudolf Höss is the commandant of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp.