S1, E5: A complaint from guests of the nearby Waldesruh Hotel leads Hubert and Staller to the estate of farmer Wildmoser. The cause of the complaint is the allegedly too loud squealing of the pigs. Staller tries to get to the bottom of the matter with a sound level meter when suddenly something crashes through the barn roof with a deafening bang. The witnesses fear a meteorite impact, but on closer inspection they discover that a man has fallen through the roof. The victim is Markus Hartlinger, who is not only the owner of the Waldesruh Hotel, but also the chairman of the "Friends of King Ludwig's Association" and an enthusiastic balloonist. The latter seems to have been his undoing, but Hubert and Staller are not yet able to say whether it was an accident, suicide or indeed murder, especially as there is initially no trace of a balloon. During their investigations, however, the two not only learn that Hartlinger's hotel was struggling financially, but also that the relationship between the deceased and his fiancée Martina Christ was not quite as rosy as Thomas Brenner, the deceased's club mate and financial advisor, initially portrayed it. When the hot air balloon is finally found thanks to some clues provided by tourists, Hubert and Staller are finally able to reconstruct Markus Hartlinger's last flight. Meanwhile, local reporter Barbara Hansen is writing an article about the machinations of a real estate mafia that is trying to buy up all the hotels in the area on the cheap. Station chief Girwidz fears that organized crime has now made Bavaria's provinces its target. And it seems that Thomas Brenner, of all people, has contacts to the real estate mafia circles ...
