An eccentric film director (Gabriel Cattand) conducts a search for a modern day Joan of Arc. His harridan wife (Ursula Kubler) hounds him constantly during the selection process. When he finally selects the perfect actress, she is driven to suicide before filming can begin in this pretentious picture.

The weekend of August 15th gives the opportunity to Michel Fauvet, a recently divorced father, to spend two full days with Bruno, his thirteen-year-old son, that he can normally see only one Sunday a month. Feeling guilty, he tries to compensate for the trauma inflicted to Bruno by giving him presents. This time around, Michel has decided to treat him to a nice trip to Bruges and the Belgian Coast. Which will not prevent Bruno from asking his father disturbing questions.

In Italy, set in the early 1930s, a missing Swedish millionaire (Erland Josephson) is the target of a journalist (Rüdiger Vogler) who sets out to discover exactly what happened to the man and whether or not he is still alive. The biggest lead he has is the millionaire's attractive mistress (Brigitte Fossey), and the story takes off from there.

Several young men and women arrive one after the other at Hôtel des Acacias, full of hope, desire and vitality. In the bustle of this hotel, everyone is looking for love. Hôtel des Acacias was an exercise guided in 1982 by Chantal Akerman at Belgium’s INSAS audio-visual college.