Nestor Burma treats himself to a refined investigation on the Côte d'Azur among the circles of the aristocracy, the wealthy, and the famous. Of course, things are rather shady behind the scenes: the rich pay with counterfeit money, the celebrities collude with criminal gangs, and the nobility is in dire straits. Under the southern sun, things heat up for Nestor, and he must call for his esteemed assistant Helene from Paris, who is the only one to keep a cool head.