Russell Todaro, a young American translator, moves to Paris to take stock of his life only to further lose himself in the surprising twists that fate has in store. One night, two men waving guns and knives break and enter his Paris hotel room, terrorising Russell and his much older companion, a famous American poet named Edward Cannon. The intruders, not finding what they seemingly expected, leave without further incident but the baffling, traumatic events overwhelm Cannon who dies in his sleep later that night. Now Russell is left to ponder the attack's meaning.