Cult icon Klaus Kinski features in this dark and intriguing existential thriller He plays the mysterious Swiss Man ruthless industrialist Nicolas Ulrich who is obsessed with a search for the elixir of life He tricks a young American scientist into joining him on his demonic quest A quest that ends in suicide death and madness The story takes place in the atmospheric European city of Amsterdam Its winding alleys and ancient canals trap the characters in a labyrinthine maze as they find themselves manipulated like figures on a giant chess board