Vincent, a young Swiss, is upset by his meeting with the city of Lisbon. He will meet two persons: a prostitute of high flight and a great writer fallen and suicidal.

Vincent Stroeler, a Swiss man seemingly detached from everything, has found a job as a night watchman in a former palace, the Hotel Villa Mauresque in Lisbon. A French guest, Sandra, gradually involves him in her prostitution business. These deals, both pathetic and extravagant, shake Vincent out of his torpor and give him a new lease on life. However, the meeting of a Portuguese writer, Tiago Sena, and the circumstances that lead to his death, upset their relationship and put an end to their adventure.—P. Mimouni