The French Republic is in turmoil as rumours spread about the release from Devil's Island of Dreyfus, the notorious Jewish spy. Police Chief Louis Lepine is recalled to office from retirement.

Jouin has fallen in love with a young woman called Jeanne Chauvin, who is a qualified lawyer but cannot practice due to her sex. Instead, she is employed by Maitre Weidmann in the Jewish quarter of La Villette.