Piet has lost his clothes and hat in a robbery. One day he sees a black cyclist wearing his hat, and, chasing him, runs him down with his garbage truck. Meanwhile James, an urban black without passport, and therefore illegally in the city, has found employment with Sarah, Piet's wife, misleading her about his papers. To Piet's surprise, James is now wearing the stolen hat, and so possibly has witnessed the murder. Piet, becoming obsessed with the discovery of his crime, subjects James to a series of blunt interrogations, and when he doesn't succeed, he resorts to the exploitation of James' illegal status.