A museum director walks into work one morning to discover that the entire collection of porcelain, old documents, and paintings is gone. He calls the local police, and examining magistrate Antoine Verlaque sets out to learn the thief's identity. Verlaque wonders if this could have something to do with the recent robbery of Madame de Montbarbon's apartment. He is distracted by the impending birth of his first child with his wife, Marine Bonnet.