What happens to you when you’re the only one who knows the truth, and people don’t believe you? What if the government decides to prosecute you, and you have to prove your innocence without any conclusive evidence?

 

After a years-long voyage on their sailboat, Peter Putker’s wife is killed on board in Colombia. The Colombian authorities don’t believe Peter when he tells them about a robbery and murder committed by pirates, in which he himself was also injured. They think he’s making it up or staged the incident to exonerate himself. The point is that there are no witnesses, and Peter is the only one who can explain exactly what happened. The Dutch Public Prosecution Service takes over the case, but if his account is called into question, he is entirely dependent on the findings and conclusions that emerged from the Colombian investigation.

 

Throughout the trial in the Netherlands, we see how Peter is at the mercy of others’ interpretations of what took place that evening. This courtroom drama meticulously illustrates how the rule of law operates in a case where the burden of proof can be interpreted in various ways. How does the court arrive at a balanced verdict?

 

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