A journalist wrongly accused of murder enlists the help of a femme fatale to track down the real killer.

A quiet French peasant has spent three years as a corporal on the front lines in World War I, and one day he cannot take it anymore and goes AWOL, escaping into the Alps in the southeast of France. He first takes leave of his wife before heading into the mountains and manages to survive in the breathtaking, vast landscape while using all the knowledge and wiles under his command. Even though the area around him is fairly isolated, another deserter arrives on the scene -- but he cannot take the solitude and leaves. As the peasant diligently works at his own survival, the police from the region know he is hiding out somewhere within their jurisdiction, and so his future is anything but secure. This subdued, pacifist film strives for distance rather than emotional involvement, so as to present a pacifist cause as reasonably as possible, but as a consequence, the routine of the deserter's existence verges on a grinding boredom.

Sébastien Fischer, a celebrated pianist, takes the advice of his agent and friend Gorgio and decides to take a break and spend some time in a little village in Provence, at the house of Avril Espart.

American tour guide Mo Alexander misses her tour group, and then her flight out of Paris. Stuck in the city of romance, Mo runs into the very suave -- and very married -- Xavier, who attempts to seduce Mo while his family is out of town. His charms prove hard to resist, and Mo succumbs, though her conscience weighs heavy. Soon their bickering romance of convenience takes a serious turn, and, in spite of himself, Xavier finds he's falling in love.