Onoff is a famed author who has become a recluse in recent years, publishing nothing. One night, he is picked up by police officers, who find him running across the French countryside in the rain, breathless and apparently suffering from short-term memory loss. A murder has been committed in the nearby woods, and suspecting Onoff's involvement, the authorities detain him at a leaky, dark command post to await the arrival of an inspector, ironically a fan of Onoff's work...