In the middle of the Brocéliande forest, a partly-burned and unidentifiable body is found, as well as a 13-year-old boy, in a state of shock and unable to speak. What was he doing there ? And why can't he talk ? Is his presence there connected to the murder? Nobody knows, and nobody lays claim to either the body or the boy - Marie Delorme and Eric Guillaumond, the two gendarmes entrusted with the investigation, have to try to solve the mystery as best and as fast as they can, but for the couple, on the verge of breaking up, nothing will by any means be easy - To help them get the boy to speak, they seek the assistance of Marie's brother, Romain Delorme, a child psychiatrist with some rather 'unconventional' methods. His view of the investigation, and of the investigators, is acute and incisive. Time is of the essence - And Marie's inner demons resurface, increasingly destabilizing her as the case brings back painful memories.