 The police is called in when blood stains and a half-burned jacket are found on a pig farm. But the original theory that pig farmer Antoine Malbosc has killed a man during an argument is proved wrong when Malbosc himself is found murdered in a vat full of pig swill. As his malice and brutality have blighted the lives of all those around him, Kommissar Bernard and Inspektor Janot have more than enough suspects, from Malbosc s abused wife to his illegal Portugese farm hand.