 In a man s bedroom, a large spider catches flies from her web affixed to a crucifix. The man is Reve, a novelist, Catholic, often soused, gay. That day, he travels from Amsterdam to Vlissingen to speak; his stories, he says, "lie the truth." A listener, Christine, a seductive beautician, invites him to stay the night. Next day, he sees a photo of her boyfriend, a buff plumber from Köln. He convinces her to bring Herman to town and sets out to seduce him. Gradually, aided by visions and nightmares, he s sure Christine s a murderous witch who s killed three husbands; he or Herman will be the fourth man. Is he mad or prescient? Is she like a spider? Only the hairdresser knows for sure.