The mutilated corpse of a young woman is discovered in her home. No evidence of break-in, no witnesses: the crime is perfect. The investigation is left to Captain Lassalle, an experienced and solitary cop, destroyed by his wife's death. While other, equally as bloody murders are carried out, Lassalle is intrigued by the personality of a blind man named Narvik. But the suspect's alibi is plausible and his disability eliminates him from the enquiry. A strange duel, like a chess game, then ensues between the two men.