Italy during the Napoleonic wars: A French General and his Adjutant are separated from their unit get beyond the enemy lines. There they meet Carlotta the resolute daughter of an Italian Count, who cannot withstand the charm of the French.
Traumatized by the War of Algeria and by the accidental death of his wife and his son, Manu left the right road. His last caper was the attack of the Antwerp-Tangiers Express, carrying a precious cargo of industrial diamonds. But the whole affair was bungled and all of his accomplices got shot. The only survivor of this disaster, Manu now finds refuge in the mountain house of Lucia, the widow of a smuggler who lives alone there with her little boy.
In L'Alpe d'Huez, Élisabeth falls in love with Christian, who refuses to marry her, claiming that marriage is a crime against love. When she finds him in the company of another woman, Élisabeth breaks up with the young man. Later, she meets him again and becomes pregnant.
