The plot is focused around three women in an old tavern, famous for its jukebox that was left over to the landlady by her husband when he went on a trip from which he never returned. There is also a spinster-turned-alcoholic because her fiance left her, as well as a young waitress who is waiting for her own fiance but has the impression that she will remain alone like these two. Various new men enter their lives, and in many different ways they destroy the memory of those who left them or contributed to their situation.

On her deathbed, the sister tries to help her brother who, burdened with his poor background, can't figure out his life's directions after completing studies.

A group of children build a loft in an abandoned yard, but instead of pigeons, a man and his two sons move into it. At first, boys try to get rid of the unwanted intruders, but eventually they befriend with them. However, the municipality sends their men to tear down the illegal housing, but the children decide to stop them at all costs.

The action is set in the Paris Commune, established in 1871 after the Franco-Prussian War, and the play follows the historical events surrounding this revolutionary uprising. The main character is the pacifist teacher Gabrielle Langevin, but historical figures such as Gustave Courbet also appear.