October 1944, in the Republic of Sal, a German puppet state in the north of Italy and the last fascist stronghold in the country. Colonel Martin Bora of the Wehrmacht must investigate the theft of a precious painting of Venus by Titian, stolen with uncanny ease from a local residence. While Bora's inquiry proceeds among many difficulties, the discovery of three dead bodies throws an even more sinister light on the scene.

Caught in an unforeseeable web of events, hounded by the Gestapo, hopelessly in love with an enigmatic, real-flesh 'Venus,', Bora must resort to all his courage and ability not only in order to solve the mystery and expose the perpetrator, but also, in a breath-taking crescendo, to try to save himself from the firing squad.