Cesare, a former bootlegger and human trafficker, finds the murdered body of his nephew Fausto in a remote Piedmont valley. Cesare himself introduced Fausto to the business of smuggling. The two men lost contact, since Fausto decided to specialize in mostly drug trafficking from Italy to Switzerland. Cesare refused to be involved in this filthy business any further. From then on he preferred to live on a day-to-day basis of occasional jobs.
As soon as the police starts to investigate the murder case Cesare comes under investigation. But soon the widowed loner wins the trust of the leading investigator Sonja di Meo. She instead suspects the local police commissioner to be in cahoots with the drug smuggling ring. Romance begins to bloom between Sonja and the harsh mountain dweller. But the emotionally secluded Cesare won’t admit to such ample feelings – they would only derail his mission: He has sworn himself to avenge the death of Fausto and to hunt down the individuals behind the drug business.
Sergio, a young man from the village, eager to flee the valley’s constriction, asks Cesare to guide a couple of stranded refugees over the border: The same refugees Fausto abandoned on an alp during his last assignment. Now Cesare decides to go for broke. With the help of Sergio he passes on incriminatory documents to Sonja. Documents, which help to unmask the backers of the drug traffic. During their track to cross the border, the refugees and their mountaineer get shot at. Cesare’s life is on the line, when all of a sudden he has to stand up to a surprise antagonist.