In 1930s Marseilles two small-time crooks decide to join forces when they meet while brawling over a woman. Starting with fixed horse races and boxing matches, they soon find themselves doing jobs for the local gangster bosses. When they decide to go into the business for themselves, their easy-going approach to crime starts to change.

Biarritz, 1933. Charm and talent assist small-time swindler Serge Alexandre, alias Stavisky, to bribe his way into the centre of French politics. But when his great scam involving millions is exposed, he brings the government to the verge of collapse and the country to the brink of civil war.

Marseille. Heaps of flowers and funeral wreaths... "A man who no longer defends his colors is no longer a man."

France, 1815. After his defeat at Waterloo, Napoleon heads for exile. Royalists occupy Paris and attempt to restore the monarchy. However, the battle doesn't seem to be over. On July 6, Talleyrand, a shrewd politician of flexible convictions, invites chief of police and zealous revolutionary Fouché to supper and tries to convince him to serve the king. Over the meal they insult each other, accuse each other, and, at first sight, look like mortal enemies. But they definitely have one thing in common: they are both power-hungry.

In Paris , Commissioner Stan Jalard and Inspector Simon Lecache plan to quit the police to go and enjoy a more peaceful life in the West Indies. In a nightclub, during a routine visit, they spot Schneider, a dreaded gangster and public enemy. At the time of his arrest, Simon is killed at close range by the criminal. Stan then decides to stay in the police to avenge Simon. Being the godfather of Christian, Simon's son, who sometimes lives in a boarding school, sometimes at home, he takes charge of his education. Two years later, Stan has been promoted, and he's told that Schneider had resurfaced in the capital. A long hunt begins.

In 1945, as World War Two comes to a close, five small time crooks unite to form a gang. After several bold robberies they become notorious as "the front-wheel drive gang". The police attempt to stop their crime spree with little success, but how long will their luck last?

Stephane (Victor Lanoux) is the mayor of a small village. He is also the manager of the tannery which provides the inhabitants with work. In a fit of anger, he kills his wife (Edith Scob). A judge (Jean Carmet) tries to prove his culpability, but it's not an easy task, because there is a political and social pressure.

A man with a gunshot wound in the stomach comes to first house and collapses in Anita's apartment. A minute later he dies and the girl, horrified by what happened, must look for somebody who would help her get rid of the corpse...

An anonymous phone call puts Commissioner Schneider's entire career and personal life in question. While his couple suffers from his impossible schedules, he finds himself running after a provocative murderer who announces his crimes over the phone. Very quickly, a doubt comes over him: could the culprit be closer to him than he thought?

Marc Elbichon, a novice private sleuth, is investigating a wave of assassinations bearing a particular characteristic: the perpetrator, dubbed the "telephone killer" always strangles his female victims with a telephone cord.