In a bar on the border between France and Spain, a cornered man thinks of the explanation he will give to the assassins who have come looking for him. "How did I get involved with this mission?" asks Jacques Munoz, without the "n," the son of an immigrant whose father was determined that his son forget his native tongue. But the death of his mother fans Munoz's interest in the prohibited language that appears to enclose all of the enigmas of his past. He studies Spanish in an obsessive manner and accepts an illegal job that obliges him to travel from Paris to Madrid. This risky adventure covers two times, two cities, and two languages. Soon Jacques is involved in a life-and-death struggle between two groups of smugglers, in the stories of men and women who feel obligated to abandon their countries, and in the private life of a stripper. A great literary thriller that explores why someone would risk their life to master another language.