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I. The story is narrated by Calloway who reconstructs his police files.
II. Rollo Martins travels after World War II to Vienna to visit his old school friend Harry Lime, who had invited him to Austria to report on international refugees. When arriving, Martins finds out that his friend was run over by a car and died. At Lime's funeral he meets Colonel Calloway who states that Lime was the worst racketeer in Vienna who would have been arrested if he had not been killed. Martins dissents from Calloway because he always regarded Lime as a hero and as an idol. Martins cannot prove it, because he has to leave Vienna the next day for lack of money.
III. At his hotel Martins is taken for Benjamin Dexter, a writer, by Crabbin, therefore he gets a room for one week plus expenses, but he must host a lecture and literary discussion.
IV. He starts his own inquiry. At first he meets Kurtz in a cafe who explains the accident but Martins is not satisfied, he thinks Lime was murdered.
V. Rollo visits Anna Schmidt in the Josefstadt Theatre. They talk about the relationship between her and Harry, and about the people who saw the accident
VI. After that, he visits the doctor to question him, but gets no information. He can only give evidence about the cause of death.
VII. At Lime's apartment he meets Koch who reveals that he is a witness who did not give evidence. He claims that there was a third man whom he could not identify. Martins wants Koch to give evidence but he refuses to do it.
VIII. After reading up the reports of the inquest Martins visits Colonel Cooler in his flat who tells the same story as Kurtz and asks him about the third man, but he cannot remember that there was anyone else.
IX. Then he visits Anna Schmidt again and tells her about his latest investigation, so they decide to question Koch again. As they arrive, they find out that Koch was murdered, therefore they flee and Martins goes back to his hotel where Calloway is waiting. He tries to escape and is driven to the literary discussion. He cannot answer the questions of Dexter's fans correctly. After the discussion Martins is brought to Calloway.
X. Calloway makes an inquiry about Cooler, Kurtz, Dr. Winkler and Koch. Martins tells him about the third man, then Calloway informs him about Lime's rackets: In those days, only military hospitals were supplied with Penicillin in Austria, thus no civilian doctor or hospital owned it. As a result Penicillin was stolen and sold to Austrian doctors for much money. Finally, an organisation was founded and penicillin was diluted. The consequences were that it causes venereal diseases and meningitis. Then he showed evidence that Lime, Kurtz, Cooler, Winkler and Harbin, who vanished, were involved. So Martins gets disillusioned and disappointed about Lime and he wants to leave Vienna, but he cannot because of the Austrian police. Both think that Kurtz or the third man killed Lime, so he tries to find the third man.
XI. After the inquiry he visits Anna Schmidt and tells her all about Lime and as leaving her, he meets the third man who is Lime.
XII. He pursues him to an iron kiosk where he vanishes, so he informs Calloway. In the meantime Anna Schmidt was to be arrested by the four powers because of her papers.
XIII. Martins and Calloway find a door in the kiosk with stairs to the sewer system, which was used for smuggling.
XIV. Martins meets Kurtz and tells him that he wants to see Harry. He makes an appointment with him at the Prater´s Great Wheel where he realises that Lime's character has totally changed, that he has become a man with no scruples anymore, that he betrays and uses people, but that he still has certain principles. He is a godless man, possessed by evil and tempted by money. His only aim is earning money, he is greedy for money, his values have been perverted. Limes tells Rollo that Harbin was buried instead of him.
XV. Martins visits Anna Schmidt again, and they make a plan how to catch Lime.
XVI. At Calloway`s office, he is informed that Winkler and Cooler will be arrested, but not Lime and Kurtz. Martins decides to be used for bait, because he lost his faith in Lime's friendship. So he makes another appointment with Lime. At the meeting, Lime realises the trap and flees. The police and Martins persecute him through the sewer system and in the end Martins wounds and shoots Lime.
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