This is a story of a university student, Pierre Boucher, which takes place in a large and unnamed French city. Since his childhood, he had been subjected - together with his mother - to persistent and prolonged abuse by his heart surgeon father. He enormously detests and resents his father. After discovering that his father had three mistresses, who were close friends of his mother and family, he decides to exact retribution on his father by murdering the three mistresses. Pierre had a strong conviction in free will, but once he starts his well thought out killing spree things start to unravel. Unexpected events lead to tragic unplanned repercussions, shaking his belief in free will to its very core.