Kostas Charitos, head of the Homicide Division of the Security Police, spends his vacation on a well-known Cycladic island. He seems to prefer his dictionary to socializing with his wife's relatives who are hosting him. An earthquake on the island brings to light the body of an unknown man, and the local authorities ask for his help in solving the murder. Instead of continuing his boring vacation, Charitos takes on the case and accompanies the corpse to Athens. There, however, a surprise awaits him: the dead man's fingertips are burned, so the body cannot be identified.