During the ceremony in which Largo Winch intends to retire his head of the shipping fleet, Sir Basil Williams, a waiter shoots the top manager. The perpetrator turns out to be a Turk named Turgut Asala from Trabzon on the Black Sea; the motive is unclear. This remains the case, as Asala is murdered on the way to the investigating judge. The New York police target Largo. Then the FBI takes over. Things get tight for Largo. Resolutely, he escapes arrest by fleeing and takes matters into his own hands...