ictional country of Lugash, a mysterious thief breaks into the National Museum, sneaks past its elaborate security system, and makes off with the fabled Pink Panther diamond, leaving a white monogrammed glove with a gold-tinted "P" as a calling card. The Lugash Secret Police are brought in to investigate, and the Shah of Lugash requests the assistance of Inspector Clouseau (Peter Sellers). Clouseau has been temporarily demoted to beat cop by his boss, Chief Inspector Charles Dreyfus (Herbert Lom), who despises Clouseau to the point of obsession. There are talks about him being reinstated as Inspector of the Sûreté, much to Dreyfus' chagrin, but after an incident during a bank robbery, Dreyfus suspends him for six months. However, the French government forces Dreyfus to reinstate Clouseau so that he can go to Lugash to investigate the theft of the Pink Panther.