Two Men in Manhattan

In the evening, Moreau, an AFP reporter, is asked by his editor to determine why Fèvre-Berthier did not attend that day's UN General Assembly meeting. He faces little cooperation from colleagues at the UN and from the secretary's office. The assignment triggers a search that spirals into private secrets and rising political tension.

Moreau questions McKimmie, a UN information officer, who cannot provide the diplomat's whereabouts. McKimmie notes that Fèvre-Berthier's family is searching for him, hinting at a private crisis behind the public absence. The lead shifts from diplomacy to a personal story of potential scandal.

Fèvre-Berthier's secretary suggests he might be with a woman, but she does not know who or where. The clue redirects the search from official duties to private life and romance. Moreau realizes the inquiry could involve several possible mistresses.

Moreau turns to Delmas, a hard-drinking tabloid photographer, for assistance. Delmas has already captured Fèvre-Berthier with three different women who are not his wife, providing plausible leads. They decide to pursue any possible mistress to locate the diplomat.

The pair checks Judith Nelson, Virginia Graham, Bessie Reed, and Gloria to see if Fèvre-Berthier is with any of them. They move between the Mercury Theater, Capitol Records, Ridgewood Rathskeller, and a French-Chinese-themed brothel, but find no trace of the diplomat. The search underlines the collision of celebrity, desire, and politics.

Back at a diner, they hear on the radio that Judith Nelson has slit her wrists just after they left her. The tragedy reframes the quest as a matter of personal tragedy and forbidden romance rather than a simple disappearance. The case becomes entangled with a sensational personal life.

In a hospital, Judith admits she tried to kill herself because she loved Fèvre-Berthier, but he is dead. When she grows hysterical, Delmas presses for the truth and learns that Fèvre-Berthier died in Judith's apartment. The revelation shifts the investigation from a disappearance to a death tied to private affairs.

The pair sneak into Judith's apartment and discover Fèvre-Berthier's corpse sitting up on a sofa. Moreau calls his boss for an update while Delmas takes a photo of the scene, eyeing the money that could come with it. Delmas moves the body to the bed to stage a more sellable shot for publication.

Rouvier, Moreau's boss's boss, arrives and insists that Fèvre-Berthier's death not be reported as the result of a diplomat's affair. Delmas reluctantly hands over a roll of film after Moreau asserts he would take the pictures by force. The three men place the corpse in Rouvier's car and leave it to be found.

Delmas tells Moreau that he intends to recoup losses by obtaining a picture of Fèvre-Berthier's wife upon hearing she is a widow. Moreau accompanies him so the widow can be informed gently, but before he can speak, Anne Fèvre-Berthier enters and reveals she has been following Moreau, hoping to reach her father. She knows about the affair, but insists her mother does not.

Moreau and Anne chase Delmas as he runs away, and they scour the town for hours, checking a photo lab, an apartment, and newspaper offices in an effort to recover the film. Moreau suspects Delmas has already sold the pictures and may be toasting their supposed profits. The hunt grows increasingly desperate and personal.

At the Pike Slip Inn, Delmas is visibly intoxicated as Moreau and Anne close in. Moreau punches Delmas, and Anne exchanges a tearful look before following them. As dawn approaches, Delmas walks into the early morning light and, in a bitterly comic gesture, pushes two rolls of film through a storm drain and walks away laughing.