The famous writer Bernard went on vacation to a small town by the lake in winter. He stayed in an old hotel owned by Enrico and his daughter Irma, hoping to meet her maid, Tilder, whom he fell in love with the last time he went to town. However, he discovered that Tilder committed suicide, and when he met a local photographer, Bernard learned that Tilder was pregnant. He became obsessed with finding out if she had actually committed suicide and wondering what had happened. When Enrico's son Mario and his wife Adriana arrived at the hotel, Bernard daydreamed about Tilde's fate.