A veteran paratrooper murders his Vietnamese wife when he finds her in the arms of a younger man. Garal (Maurice Ronet) makes it back to the army base where his drunken roommate provides him with an iron clad alibi. Jauran (Michel Bouquet) is the local police inspector who befriends the Garal, unaware he is the killer. The younger man is accused of the woman's murder, but the paratrooper begins to feel overwhelmed with guilt. The longer he remains silent about the crime, the more psychological torture he must endure.
Two young men, Zim and Jean-Pierre, both sentenced for a minor offence, recognize one another when they are released from prison on the same day. One wants to reform, but his friend wants to stay a crook. The first one gets a job and begins improving his life, while the young criminal ends up incarcerated for stealing cars.
Benoît, a young provincial, arrives in the capital. He has left his family (mother, wife and child) in his native Charente. But for him, the difference in the standard of living is trying, and he loses his bearings among this crowd of anonymous people. A young woman, Myriam, crosses his path. But the encounter is short-lived, and Benoît returns home. A tragedy has occurred.
