一场失败的银行抢劫案后，嫌疑人失踪，8名人质向两名警察讲述了不同的故事，案件变成了搞笑的谜团。

The Soviet chess player Anatolij meets the American chess player Freddie in Italy where a grand chess championship is held. There, their pasts and love affairs starts to affect the competition, forcing them to face their inner feelings.