A fifty-year old man takes stock of his existence, finding it empty and monotonous. Sunk in an unbearable situation, he is stricken with profound anxiety. One morning he wakes up to a sudden revelation: in order to feel better he must find the most beautiful and perfect chair in the world and keep it, like a talisman. Excited by the prospect, the man sets out on a search which continually forces him to leave his apartment.