In this black and white drama, a boy and his uncle, Italian immigrants in France, live together in a housing block. The boy is a very sensitive young fellow, and and doesn't understand how his uncle can possibly find bullfighting so attractive, and how he can, apparently without feeling, kill a sheep. Later, a woman by the name of Pandora enters their lives, and a complicated rivalry among all three develops as they vie for one another's attentions.

From his window, 10-year-old Henry Brulard witnesses the death of a citizen wounded by counter-revolutionaries. When his father tells him he's on a list of people "notoriously suspected of disliking the republic", the hatred between them erupts. Based on Stendhal's "The Life of Henry Brulard".

Gaspard spends his nights reading the Odyssey. When Polo, who claims to be his cousin, shows up with a backpack full of CVs, Gaspard's life is turned upside down. A few blocks away, Bob yells insults and je t'aime at Josianne's window to get her to open the door. Pierre-Henri Brahim spots him and thinks he's found a friend. Fred wanders the streets with his crazy leg. They all end up at Josianne's house, where they learn that she is to be evicted. On the bangs of society, each of the characters is a world unto himself. Extravagant and endearing, they are the protagonists of a social comedy that tackles the issue of social marginalization with caustic humor and a great deal of tenderness.