A heavyweight crime novel set in the beautiful Emmental region. The aging boxing champion Hammer-Joe runs a boxing club in Emmental. One day, Magdalena, his best student, goes missing. The police are only lukewarm in their response, as Magdalena comes from a troubled background - they believe she will turn up again. However, Joe fears the worst and hires a private detective. After some initial successes, the situation escalates, and Hammer-Joe finds himself maneuvering into what may be his last great fight.