前法国驻德国外交官的儿子马西亚斯·巴瑞列特(Emmanuel Salinger 艾曼努艾尔·萨兰日 饰)前往巴黎进修法医课程。在火车上,他邂逅一个陌生男子,两人相谈甚欢。不久后马西亚斯被怀疑携带毒品,受到乘警(Jean-Louis Richard 饰)的百般刁难。 来到巴黎的马西亚斯很快忘记火车上的不快,但是厄运并未远去,他打开自己的行李,竟发现里面有一颗老者的人头。这个年轻人非但不害怕,反而对人头产生迷恋,并试图探究人头之后隐藏的秘密…… 本片荣获1993年凯撒电影节最佳男演员奖。Mathias, whose dead father was a diplomat in Germany, decides to study the forensic medicine in Paris. In the train, he has some troubles with the border police, and is insulted and threatened by a strange man, who disappeared quickly. Next day, he discovers in his luggage a shrunken human head. He soons becomes fascinated by it, feeling responsible (sentry of the memory of the head's owner) and starts his own investigation. What will leads him to cope with French secret services.