Stille waters

Jana and her business partner Yannick are looking forward to the new collection, which should arrive soon for their boutique in Antwerpen. Her brother Guido reminds her about their father's birthday. She can't show up two years in a row, so she goes to see him. She receives a warm welcome in Terhaven, but her father looks very concerned with something. But then she receives a phone call from Yannick. The shipment of the new collection has gone wrong and she has to go back immediately. A few days later her father is found dead on the banks of the Schelde. Was it suicide or was there more? And what is the role of Alexander Vorlat in all of this. He was supposed to be her father's best friend. Or was he?

Jana's stepfather wrote her a letter. Two years ago he did something terrible with Vorlat. Something worse than murder. He couldn't bear the guild any longer and that's why he ended his life. Jana wants to find out what happened two years ago, but several people advise against it and urge her to go back to Antwerpen. In the mean time she gets very friendly with Rob who works at Vorlat's factory. The offloading of logs from a truck goes wrong and Rob's best friend Kenny gets stuck underneath and dies. Rob blames Vervenne, Vorlat's right hand, for Kenny's death. He attacks him at the factory, but these actions have serious consequences.

Two small boys go rowing on the Schelde and drown under suspicious circumstances. One of the boys father is Pierre, a foreman at Vorlat's factory. Vorlat has to sell his factory in Poland with heavy losses. Now he needs 7 million fast. He tells his wife Claudine to go to any lengths to get the money from her friend Baron de Bethune. She refuses. Then he tries it himself with the baron. Strong words are changed, but no money. With no more options left, Vorlat lends the money from Claudine's multi-millionaire brother Robert, who is just back in Belgium. Tobie, Vorlat's eldest son, thought his uncle was dead. His father tells him why there are no more strings between his uncle and his family. It's a shocking story.

Alex asks his youngest son Ben to keep quiet about him lending 7 million from Robert. Ben doesn't agree about lending money from his uncle. Claudine had broken all ties with her brother and doesn't agree either. The parents of the two ten year old boys are getting nowhere with there inquires. They want to know why their sons were drunk and had a lot of money on them. They are getting nowhere with the authorities and want to stop. But then Coppens, a befriended journalist, finds a similar death from five years ago and the name Robert de Wesemael!

Jana learns the news about Robert from Erna. All Terhaven seems to know about it, but nothing had been done about it. She also comes in contact with Herman. He tells her that he was Robert's last victim before his sister, Claudine, kicked him out of the family. Herman was 9 at the time. Robert's yacht was seen on the Schelde five years ago when a 10-year-old boy drowned and at the time Tim and Kristof drowned. With all this new information they go to the authorities, but again they getting nowhere. As a last resort they start a petition about reopening the case. Alex and Claudine are not at all happy with this.

Ben Vorlat signs the petition. This divides the family in two. Alex tries to drown his problems in alcohol and goes to Wendy. But she is busy with another client at the club. Alex tries to buy the client out, but he is not impressed. Very drunk Alex takes his frustrations out on Claudine in a terrible way. Prosecutor Van Wallegem starts to have doubts and investigates the case of Sven Borgmans from five years ago. He turns to the attorney of law Hervé with his findings. At last Hervé tells him how that was his last case as a prosecutor and he got too scared to continue after he found out the truth. He urges Van Wallegem to stop for the good of public interest. What will Van Wallegem do?

The authorities decide not to pursue the drowning of the two boys any longer. The parents are even more determined to persist now. Jana gets an offer to go on a TV show to talk about it. At first she is very nervous, but it all ends very well and the whole nation seems to stand behind her. Even attorney of law Hervé starts to have doubts, but Robert is pressuring him. A small error from Jana has big consequences. Even her relationship with Rob is getting difficult.

Jana's mother is convinced her daughter is involved with a Jean-Claude. Jana doesn't know anybody by that name, but her mother seems to be very sure of herself. Robert is finally arrested and swears he will bring Hervé and the Vorlats down with him. Alex is scared. If they find the paper where he signed for the 7 million he also will be in deep trouble.

Jana finds out what her mother meant to Jean-Claude. Jana's conclusions from this, sends a shock through the community. After all that happened lately and the fact that Rob left, makes her turn back on Antwerpen. Wendy confesses to Alex that she loves him and not his money. He is stunned by this and admits that he loves her too. In the mean time Toby finds out that company money goes to the nightclub Wendy works at.

Jana decides to sell the boat and she travels back with it to Antwerpen. Halfway she strands on the banks of the Schelde due to a lack of petrol. To her dissatisfaction, Toby comes to her rescue. They start talking about their fathers. This reminds her of the last time she saw him and the letter he wrote. She decides to take on her original quest of finding out what happened two years ago. She receives an anonymous letter, which states that Alexander Vorlat has the blood of two children on his hands. It also describes a place where it happened. But she can't find it anywhere. She also shows the letter to Toby. He can't believe his father is involved in this and starts to investigate where the letter might come from.

An environmental inspection at the factory is not going well. It will cost the firm a lot of money to get everything right again. Alex states to Vervenne and Toby that he has a plan B, which will give him four times that money. Toby doesn't want any more surprises from his father and asks his mother for the combination of the safe. In there he finds photos and a letter from Stan. The letter tells the beginning of what happened two years ago. Jana and Toby get Petra to Jana's house. She finally remembers what happened. And indeed, it is worse than murder. Toby decides to confront his father with everything he knows now.

Toby has chosen for Jana and breaks up with Cathy. He has plans to get back at his father, but he has to make one big sacrifice for it. Every lie Alex has ever told, now comes back to haunt him. Everyone deserts him. Even his wife. But still there is worse to come.

Alex has lost everything. His firm, his family, his friends and all of his money. He also has to decide what to do with Petra now he can't afford to pay her anymore. He turns to his father with whom he hadn't spoken for years. Albert always said that when Alex made the first step he would back his son again. And he keeps word. But not long after this Albert dies. Tobie has taken over the firm, but he seems no better than his father. He fires seven men. Tobie forgets his phone and Jana picks up a call from Cathy by accident. They decide to meet and find out that Tobie has cheated on them both. Jana decides to root around Tobie's papers.