The still young Inspector Maigret has been transferred to a sleepy village in northern France, in the area of shellfish gatherers and lobster fishermen. The months pass monotonously until one day the gossip-loving Adine Hulot tells him about strange happenings at the home of retired judge Forlacroix. Out of sheer boredom, Maigret sets off and encounters the judge, who is in the process of disposing of a corpse. Maigret's 21st case takes place in the Vendée in northern France and in Versailles.