The teacher Odile Langlois starts her new job in the elementary school of a small French town. She is elegant and mysterious - but most of all, she is very friendly to her new students, whose confidence she gains so quickly. On the contrary, however, Odile's unconventional, alternative way of teaching does not appeal to some colleagues and parents who do everything to get rid of the young teacher ...

It is only a few years into the future, but the face of France has changed drastically, due to its takeover by a moralistic, hypocritical and totalitarian regime. Women with children who want to divorce their husbands are not allowed to do so, all political parties have been outlawed, smoking is illegal and everyone must work. After a spat with her boyfriend, Carole (Laure Marsac) hails a taxi, not realizing that she has done so without any of the money or identification papers she needs. Her driver (Bruno Cremer) attempts to help her, but a variety of mishaps bring her to the attention of the police, who proceed to arrest her on made-up charges and a phoney HIV-positive result on tests given at the time of arrest.