The famous writer Bernard travels to a small town nearby a lake to spend vacation out of season in the winter. He check in an old hotel owned by Enrico and his daughter Irma expecting to meet the maid Tilde, from whom he had a crush last time he visited the town. However, he discovers that Tilde has committed suicide and when he meets the local photographer, Bernard learns that she was pregnant. He becomes obsessed to find whether she really committed suicide and to guess what really happened. When Enrico's son Mario and his wife Adriana arrive at the hotel, Bernard has daydreams about the fate of Tilde.
