A young man is found unconscious on the steps of the cathedral in Avignon. The head doctor at a nearby psychiatric clinic takes him in and soon realizes that he is carrying an experience that is about to rob him of his language. She also understands that it is connected with a woman who was recently found dead in Paris. While the police investigate the death, the doctor goes to Paris to visit the young man's circle of acquaintances. Gradually, she gains insight into his history - and into her own, but does not see how this insight puts herself in danger.

Torkil Damhaug attracted great attention when he debuted with this insightful and exciting crime novel, set in Provence and Paris.