A man is murdered in Laguiole, Aveyron, Aubrac country. The young Elisabeth Richard, deputy prosecutor of Rodez, is handling the case. She has to deal with the hostility of a police officer, promoted on his own strength and not keen on the idea of being subjected to a young woman. Elisabeth especially has to unravel the tangles of ancestral antagonism and family secrets in order to unmask the culprit. The film is both a criminal investigation and a social painting.
Marie is a young woman with a troubled past. Her passion is painting, but she never had any formal training. Living in the South of France, she takes whatever work she can get to make ends meet. Then she befriends the elderly painter Jaume and he becomes her mentor. But their relationship is not an easy one: Jaume has Alzheimer's disease.
During the Nazi occupation of France as two filmmakers attempt to navigate their careers without compromising their ideals. Facing pressure from the Vichy government, assistant director Jean Devaivre uses his position at the German-controlled studio Continental Films as a cover for his resistance activities, while screenwriter Jean Aurenche uses his wits to keep from being involved in the creation of any collaborationist propaganda.