Without Apparent Motive

Unmarried police detective Carella spots his old flame Jocelyne, who is being shadowed by an Englishman. He contemplates rekindling his romance, but his duty to the murder investigation pulls him away. The encounter hints at a personal conflict that will complicate the case.

Forest, a prominent local businessman, is killed by a single shot from a long-range 0.22 rifle. The method is cold and precise, leaving little obvious motive. Investigators begin to see a pattern linking the deaths to a wider criminal network.

Later the same day, Barroyer — a business associate tied to Forest — is killed in exactly the same way. The identical method amplifies the sense of a calculated strike against a small circle. Sandra, the stepdaughter, becomes a key source of information as she tries to understand the connections.

Sandra finds her stepfather Forest's secret diary, which records numerous affairs including a steamy night with Jocelyne. The diary hints at hidden motives and possible links to the crime. This discovery adds a deeply personal layer to the investigation.

On the next day, Jocelyne visits Carella at his flat. She is shot dead on the steps outside, a brutal reminder that danger has followed her home. Carella is drawn deeper into a case that now touches his life personally.

Carella learns that Forest and Barroyer laundered money through the astrologer and drug dealer Kleinberg. Kleinberg is shot later the same day, widening the net around the crime network. The findings deepen the mystery beyond straightforward murder.

With four deaths in two days, the police chief pushes for a breakthrough. He warns the team that a clear motive must emerge, not just a string of killings. The mounting pressure adds urgency to the investigators' search.

Sandra provides a crucial lead, identifying two university peers of the victims: Sabirnou, a TV presenter, and Palombo, a theatre director. Both are brought in for questioning as investigators begin tying together the victims' past.

Sabirnou and Palombo's questioning reveals that all four victims were part of the same play's cast. Two women who later appear under unknown married names emerge as potential witnesses to the party's after-effects.

Hélène approaches the police to reveal that the end-of-run party devolved into a mass sex orgy. She explains that Juliette refused to participate and was gang-raped, a revelation that shocks the investigators.

Juliette remains at large, and her English husband contacts the police to arrange questioning. Carella prepares to bring Juliette in for interrogation, stepping further into the case.

Carella is shot at by a long-range rifle and returns fire, wounding the sniper. He rushes into the building and discovers the killer is Juliette's English husband, who has been systematically targeting all those involved in the rape.