Inspector Rocco Schiavone hates everything about the mountain resort of Aosta: the cold, the mountains, the far-offness and above all the snow - all the more since that's exactly where his first case takes him.

Rocco Schiavone is called to the place where a corpse was found. The victim has apparently hanged himself from a chandelier - but perhaps the murderer only faked the suicide. The violent husband is one of the main suspects.

Two different murder cases keep Rocco and his team in suspense. One is the discovery of a corpse on the grave of a well-off citizen of the village, and on the involves the death of a mountaineer. Rocco sets a trap for the suspects.

The daughter of well-known builder Pietro Berguet is kidnapped. Rocco rushes to find the girl's current whereabouts, but finds himsels disturbed when the kidnapping doesn't follow a usual pattern.

Rocco finds himself with two additional cases, on top of his private troubles with his lover Nora; one is the case of Ludovico Venier, a man who fell to his death while mountaineering with his partners.

Rocco has been in shock since the murder of Adele. He relives the pain of when his wife was murdered years ago. When his bosses in Aosta discuss his deteriorating performance as a commissioner, he considers resigning.