A criminal is being blackmailed by his former accomplices. He does everything in his power to gain time because the statutory limitation for the crime he committed starts at midnight.

Sentenced to 20 years after killing a colleague for revealing that his wife was unfaithful, Sourdier escapes hoping to kill the woman as well.He learns she was true to him and has had a little girl who thinks the father is dead.

Louis Cruciol, a married man, leads a double life: he maintains his mistress by taking the identity of one of his employees, Louis Cornette. A series of misunderstandings ensues.

Baronski has had enough of being a small-time merchant and decides, aided by his daughter Esther, to try his hand at big business. Why not be a film producer for instance? But it is easier said than done and he is soon relieved of 100,000 francs by a crook. Undaunted, he produces a film written by a young scriptwriter, Maurice Rogier, discovered by his daughter but does not believe it could become a success. Esther, for her part, decides to have "L'ange que j'ai vendu" shown in a local movie theater and the film immediately proves a hit. All is well that ends well, Esther marrying Maurice into the bargain.

Jules Vachon, a pharmacist, has two sons, Gabriel, a steady-minded young man dedicated to his job in the pharmacy, and Gaston, a good for nothing whose only talent is to seduce rich women and take money from their pockets. But it is Gaston who is hailed as a great man when he returns to his native village thanks to his deep pockets.

Anika is the most beautiful girl of her clan and has for pretenders the gypsy Sandor and the rich Féry. When Féry is assassinated, Sandor is accused of the murder. Anika, with the help of a fortune teller decides to find out what happened.

Five unemployed workers win 100,000 Francs in the national lottery. Instead of sharing the money, they buy a ruin and build an open-air cafe. But difficulties come to split their friendly group apart.

About the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and the beginning of the First World War. Focuses on the relationship between a Serbian officer and his Austrian-born wife and their involvement in espionage between the countries.