Boris Arnoux, international ski champion and darling of the Clairies, returns to the village for the Christmas holidays after winning a Crystal Globe race. His wife organises a party at the Isba Hotel to celebrate his victory.
Corto is found alive and interrogated; following a neighbourhood investigation, the caravan's body is identified as an employee of the hotel of Boris Arnoux.
Tiphaine, who was thrown from the balcony of her building, is in critical condition; Emilie pursues the attacker, but the man slips through her fingers as he crosses the Swiss border.