Martin Harris and his wife Liz arrive in Berlin at the start of the film. They are in town for a summit on biotechnology. Martin discovers that he forgot his briefcase at the airport when he gets to the hotel. Liz is left at the hotel, and he swiftly and secretly takes a different taxi to get back to the airport. Martin's taxi meets with an accident, drives off the road, and crashes into a river before he can call his wife Liz to tell her about the suitcase.