Paul Gerard is a famous gourmet and his books about restaurants can decide the fate of a chef. In his way, Paul is a very powerful man. But Paul is threatened by Vittorio Rossi, the proprietor of a renowned restaurant and one night, after a fight with Paul, Rossi is poisoned by a bottle of wine he himself had uncorked. Lt. Columbo begins to investigate and we have no doubt that, between a steak and a Chinese dish, he will find out who killed Rossi, his motive and the way he did it.