Margreet Boersbroek

Former Amsterdam police detective Floris Wolfs has been transferred to the police department of the south-Dutch country town Maastricht. His metropolitan experience nicely complements the local expertise of his new country colleagues, who know the folks. Slowly he fits in, while solving countless crimes together with his female partner Eva van Dongen.

In Amsterdam Paradise we're witnessing the development of the relationship between Adam and Eva and see how it’s continually influenced and affected by dozens of other stories set in the city. Amsterdam Paradise is a shimmering mosaic narrative of the city, life and love.

When the Germans invade the Netherlands in 1940, Leiden student Erik Hazelhoff Roelfzema and his friends have a carefree student life. The boys, then around 23 years old, realize out of the blue that nothing is the same anymore. Friendship and love are no longer self-evident. The war turns everything upside down, all relationships are on edge. Everyone has to make their own choices…: Are you going to fight for Freedom, People, Fatherland? Do you bury your head in the sand and continue studying? Or do you deliberately choose the enemy?

Joz, a young police officer in Rotterdam, is assigned by his boss Lisa to investigate the murder of a prostitute named Maria. During his investigation, he meets Carmen. He falls so deeply in love with her that he breaks up with his fiancée Maryam. However, Carmen is indifferent to this, as she does not want to commit herself. Joz's work also suffers as a result, and he is suspended, with Simon taking over the case. Nevertheless, Joz continues his investigation. He discovers that Carmen's brother Steve, who has been arrested, is innocent, and frees him. Out of jealousy, he attacks Carmen. Carmen's friends arrange for Joz and Steve to flee abroad. Ultimately, it turns out that Lisa committed the murder because her husband Koen (Kurt Rogiers) had been a client of Maria's. She shoots Joz.

The Prince and the Girl goes back to June 2003. The investigation into Mabel's background is in full swing, including her friendships with men such as the criminal Klaas Bruinsma and Mohammed Sacirbey, a Bosnian politician imprisoned in the US on suspicion of gambling away development funds. During this period, Prime Minister Balkenende has four conversations with Friso and Mabel, and the pressure on the couple to tell the truth grows ever greater. Until finally, they themselves no longer know what the truth is and find themselves falling from one uncertainty into another.