En route to Italy, engine trouble with his decrepit minibus forces Matula to make an unscheduled stop and spend some time in a resort town known for its winter sports. On a hike with his companion, a dog named Dr. Renz, he comes across a dead body. Although it initially appears that butcher Martin Wiesner died in a climbing accident of his own making, Matula soon begins to have second thoughts about this theory.
