For a year, Major Jules Gabin has successfully led the gendarmerie in the quaint town of Rebenheim. When a body washes up on the banks of the Rhine, it quickly becomes clear that the victim was last a guest at the local inn, Auberge de la Cigogne. And that's not all: the German, a geologist, was on a sensitive mission - he was searching for gold deposits in Alsace, a region known primarily for its culinary delights. Was the victim killed out of sheer greed? Major Gabin has his doubts...