And since I had nothing else but this nonsensical game against myself, my anger and my desire for revenge drove me fanatically into this game. Dr. B. finds himself unjustly in the clutches of the Nazis and is held in solitary confinement for an indefinite period. His only distraction is a collection of famous chess games that he plays out in his mind over and over again. An obsession begins, which resurfaces a few years later on a sea voyage, where Dr. B. encounters the reigning world chess champion, Czentovic.