Unlike his most famous works as a director, which are thrillers (the best being certainly "toi le venin" ),this one takes place in South America , where revolutionary guerilleros take the president's daughter hostage ,after the attack of a train and a massacre.

The fight is already lost because some of the men are not convinced by their revolution; some (Mario Adorf) would like to get a hefty ransom ,a young one ,in love with the prisoner he compares to a madonna , would like to take her back to her father and thus betray his companions.

A slow-moving movie, with some good scenes , which stems from Hossein's flair for film noir: the walking through the main street of a town,between two rows of hanged men ; the discovery of a tortured man in the night ; the final on the beach ; the great Madeleine Robinson has only one scene but she makes it count :"what's the point of carrying on so meaningless a fight ? What are you gonna win? Is it worth at all?.

José Giovanni would resume the subject of the illusive revolution in "le rapace"(1968) and surpass Hossein.