The famous writer Bernard travels to a small town nearby a lake to spend vacation out of season in the winter. He check in an old hotel owned by Enrico and his daughter Irma expecting to meet the maid Tilde, from whom he had a crush last time he visited the town. However, he discovers that Tilde has committed suicide and when he meets the local photographer, Bernard learns that she was pregnant. He becomes obsessed to find whether she really committed suicide and to guess what really happened. When Enrico's son Mario and his wife Adriana arrive at the hotel, Bernard has daydreams about the fate of Tilde.

　　意大利女子桑德拉（克劳迪娅·卡汀娜 Claudia Cardinale 饰）带着丈夫回到了自己的故乡，她此行只有一个目的，就是和弟弟姜尼（让·索里尔 Jean Sorel 饰）一起查明父亲真正的死因。姐弟两人的父亲受到纳粹迫害而死在了集中营里，桑德拉和姜尼一直怀疑，当年将父亲出卖给纳粹的正是母亲和她当年的情人，如今姐弟两的继父。　　实际上，桑德拉和姜尼之间亦有着不可告人的过去，在萌动之际，他们曾经有过僭越了伦理和道德的亲密行为。如今，桑德拉早已经不愿再回想当年的无知和天真，可姜尼却对那段往事念念不忘，甚至妄图令往事重演。愤怒的桑德拉拒绝了弟弟的请求，悲伤和绝望中，姜尼做出了令全家人都追悔莫及的举动。