The Arbac de Neuvilles are one of the oldest families in France. They have inhabited their ancient château for fifty-two generations and are proud of their noble ancestry. But today they are stone broke. When a bailiff turns up notifying them that they owe two million euros in back taxes, these proud aristocrats are understandably shaken to the core of their ancestral seat. Just how are they to find this amount of money when none of them has any capacity for work?

In the 1960s, Evelyne, a 14-year-old teenager, reluctantly becomes her mother's confidante, who uses her as an excuse for romantic encounters with a work colleague. Evelyne finds this secret very difficult because she loves her father and her 12-year-old younger sister. One day, her mother leaves her husband and her two daughters. Evelyne, feeling guilty, tries to convince her to return home.