An empty barge drifts downriver with the owner missing. That same night Inspector Soneri is called in to investigate the murder of the boatman's brother. The brothers served together in the fascist militia fifty years earlier and Soneri must navigate ancient loyalties and deep-rooted rivalries before he can find out the truth.

As he investigates the murder of an elderly friend, Soneri discovers that she once rented rooms by the hour and carried out illegal abortions in her pension. The key to solving her murder may lay in these illicit activities, but the Inspector fears that there could be a deeper mystery with ties to his marriage and his most cherished sentiments.

Following the death of a former police inspector, Inspector Soneri has the job of discovering what made a valorous officer go crooked. During the investigation he finds himself battling his friend and colleague Angela, who is defending one of the suspects, and it leads to a fatal professional embarrassment.

Inspector Soneri finds himself with an all-female case, filled with men who are too much in love, girls who have messy pasts and fellow officers with time-worn secrets. To solve the case and save the life of his friend Angela, he must investigate the darkest side of what has always been a mystery for him: women.