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 colonel aims to make her regiment compete with that of the men, which is not to the taste of the general, who also turns out to be her lover.

A small saver discovers the scam that threatens all subscribers to the "Caution foncière". He embarks on an incredible adventure to recover the funds paid in by his friends, and succeeds in exposing the scandal.

In an elevator, a group of young people are in conversation...

Successful writer/director Bernard Rougerie is at a creative dead end and decides to isolate himself from his wife in order to complete the script for his next film. Bernard moves into an apartment building whose tenants are in the midst of a revolt against their abusive landlord. Reluctant at first, he joins their cause and then becomes involved in an affair with young, unemployed resident Anne.