For young Parisian boy Antoine Doinel, life is one difficult situation after another. Surrounded by inconsiderate adults, including his neglectful parents, Antoine spends his days with his best friend, Rene, trying to plan for a better life. When one of their schemes goes awry, Antoine ends up in trouble with the law, leading to even more conflicts with unsympathetic authority figures.

In Vendée, an old farmer is gradually abandoned by his family who do not see their future in the fields. Only a cripple in love and abandoned remain at his side.

Cashier Maurice Legrand is married to the wretched Adele. By chance, he meets Lucienne, 'Lulu', and makes her his mistress. He thinks he has finally found love, but Lulu is a streetwalker, still in love with her pimp.

The singer Saltore is accused of the murder of his wife's lover, and is sentenced to ten years' hard labour. His daughter proves his innocence when she discovers the culprit to be his wife, who wanted to end an embarrassing love affair.

A lady who had a secret affair lives in fear.

Jules and Fernand are two boys from the Café des sports in Marseille who take part in their corporation's annual race.

A young unemployed girl pretends to be a boy and gets a job as a car washer.

The formidable K.O. Bouillon killed trainer Victor's colt during a boxing fight. Strongly affected, Victor returns to the south to find his wife and adopted daughter. He discovers in the person of Bernard a seed of champion which he ensures the training in secret...

The gypsy dancer Cartacalha is elected queen of the gypsies. She loves a horse breeder, the Galejon, but following misunderstandings and perfidy, she leaves for Paris, invited by a playwright who predicts a total success on stage. Having become a star, she returns to the Camargue where, still abused, she tries to commit suicide.

Struggling actor Simon witnesses a murder; he didn't see the killer, but that doesn't stop him from claiming that he did in order to get his name into the papers. Sure enough, the murderer targets him as his next victim. Our hero is temporarily rescued by Jeanne, a fellow aspiring actress who has always had a crush on him.