A young woman sets off for Trieste to track down a man who died some time ago. She seeks out people who once knew him.
Judging by the questions she asks, she seems mainly interested in the reasons why this man, an intellectual who was highly regarded in literary circles, never wrote anything himself.
During the woman’s various travels, the man’s personality becomes clearer but the search less so, and the pretext for it fades to be replaced by a growing certitude.
Will she remain at this stage?