Overview: After the war, Constant Reynaert bites himself into the mysterious disappearances of Houtegem. De Bellicourt succeeds in having his German rivals convicted of murder in absentia. The unknown corpse is now officially recognized as that of the Baron. To the mayor's anger, Constant Reynaert effortlessly manages to track down one of the 'untraceable' murderers. Of course he reports about it in Het Vrije Meerse. The body of a newborn is found in the forest. The mother is Julia Goegebuer, a maid from the Bellicourt. The rebellious workman Karel Tanghe shows that he knows more about the murder of the baron. And the spirited Victo De Jonghe claims to know who the dead child's father is. Their indolence is fatal to them ...