Lucas, a murderer, escapes from the prison administration van which was conveying him. At the same time, a strange phenomenon strikes some inhabitants of the village of Saint-Rochans in Limousin, who fall into a deep sleep. Police Captain Martin Béranger tries to find the murderer on the run while Professor Élise Berthelot, a sleep specialist, arrives in Saint-Rochans to study the state of lethargy of the villagers plunged into a coma.