The police are on edge. This is the fourth gangster to be wheeled into the autopsy lab in fifteen days. He and the other victims have all been killed by a homemade weapon.
Lieutenant Bart, in charge of the investigation, has no clues about the person who the press is now calling the “Ferret” because of his ability to elude the law. “The Identikit portrait of the Ferret fits Mr. Everybody,” Bart says, admitting to his inability to break the case. Indeed, the Ferret is a simple locksmith who lives in the back of his little store with his wife and children. Gangster movies are his passion and he watches videos of them over and over. He dreams of joining the ranks, of owning magnificent cars and being surrounded by a bevy of gorgeous women. He’s ready to do anything to realize his dream. The series of murders result from his encounter with Don Enzio, a small-time hood. Enzio promises the Ferret that he’ll introduce him to a big boss, Don Salvador, so that the locksmith can join the gang. But in exchange, he must prove himself by killing a few irksome gangsters. The Ferret proves to be a clever and formidable accomplice, slipping in and out of sewers and subway tunnels after breaking their locks. On Don Anzio’s orders, and to the great displeasure of Don Salvador, he fulfills his contracts and bodies begin to pile up.