Philippe and Sylvie have to do with Alvarez, a dangerous gang leader. They break up with him and commit robbery and murder. Sylvie suggests that Philippe take refuge in his quiet family. His younger sister Antoinette attracts and charms Philippe and excites the jealousy of Sylvie who informs Alvarez. The police get involved and Philippe is killed during a merciless fight.
Martine discovers, on the eve of her wedding, that her mother, whom she believed to be dead, leads an adventurous life. Pierre, her fiancé, unable to overcome his family's opposition to the revelation of this news, decides to kidnap Martine. The adventurer, who is not recognized by her daughter, agrees to leave France. The family of the young man will no longer put obstacles in the way of marriage.
Muichkine, a young Russian prince, returns home to St. Petersburg from a mental institution, determined to spread decency and kindness in the harsh and cruel world. He becomes betrothed to an innocent young girl while trying to save a less-innocent woman from her own travail, but jealousy and his own naivete conjoin to bring about unimaginable tragedy.
During the Second World War, in occupied Paris, a group of high school students is more active at selling cigarettes and silk stockings than at studying. But the day a new philosophy teacher takes charge of their class, things begin to change. It must be said that Mademoiselle Bravard is not only a gifted educator but a charming young woman as well. Thanks to her, all the students end up passing their finals.
Nicolas, the owner of a small café, has had enough of his current life. Business-wise, customers are more and more scarce. As for the love side, the situation is not any better as Jacqueline, his charming wife, not content to be spendthrift, might well be cheating on him.. To escape this harrowing reality Nicolas decides to simulate his suicide and disappears. Lucky or unlucky draw? Both in fact as, on the one hand, Nicolas finds serenity but, on the other he wins a huge sum of money in a lottery. How will he manage to get the money now?
Symbolizing the destiny of man, Hora imposes her destiny on everyone. She appears to a petty bourgeois trying to escape from his mediocre life, to a frivolous mother, to a reveler in nightclubs, to a man stranded without money in a restaurant, to a young sportsman, to a singer tired of the selfishness of his listeners and to a condemned man. To each, she brings the imperative message of Time...
With a hand of steel, Hélène efficiently runs a big luxury perfume factory in Grasse. There is no room for fun in her dull businesswoman's life. Then, a car accident drops Claude Dubois, a painter, into her lap. But the artist will have to deploy all his subtle wiles and clever tricks to rouse Hélène's feelings and get her to enjoy the cozy life of a cherished wife.
Mr. Gustave Bourdillon loves hopelessly the wife of the director of the institution where he is the only teacher. Soon a widow, the pretty wife of Mr. Calumet, agrees to marry the brave professor, but believes each onstant that her husband has returned in the form of his brave little dog Medor. After incredible situations and an immeasurable pursuit, Gustave Bourdillon and widow Émilie will live a deserved happiness.
Jules Frémissin is shy and in love. The father of the object of his flame is also shy. The marriage proposal is very laborious, because before marrying Cécile Thibaudier, Jules must fight a duel with the arrogant Vancouver, convinced that all this eager and awkward courtship was intended for his own wife, also named Cécile.
Following a broadcast on the radio, each of the listeners remembers these "little nothings" (the title is borrowed from a play by Mozart), which have often changed their lives. Each of these stories told will prove that a tiny detail in life can change an entire destiny.
Fadinard is going through the woods on his horse en route to his wedding. Unfortunately, his horse eats the straw hat of a married woman who is having a secret rendezvous with her lover. In order to save the woman's honor, Fadinard must find the exact same type of hat to replace the one his horse ate and still be able to get to his wedding on time.
A rural maiden's two suitors go off to war, leaving her pregnant.
Bienaimé, a modest postman, in love with Janine, the village postmistress, does not know that he is the illegitimate son of the old Baron de Mondésir. The Baron dies and in happy amazement, Bienaimé finds he is the sole heir to the deceased's estate. But he should be careful, for two crooks, Waldemar and Erika, are after his newly-acquired wealth.
Caesar, a senior French colonist returned home after many years of absence, knows a girl, Marcella, who is in full depression because she was abandoned by her lover. Caesar welcomes her into his home and surrounds her with paternal attention so that he can quickly forget the past. Slowly his feeling turns into a love that Marcella seems to reciprocate. However, when Cesare realizes that the girl feels only gratitude for him and is in love with a younger man, he loses control. Blinded by jealousy, he plans to kill Marcella's lover but, in the face of the girl's vulgarity and indifference, he realizes that he has been teased and turns his anger towards her.
Three "spinsters" focus their attention very narrowly on their nephew, in his first phase of adulthood. Éloi, handicapped by his shyness, behaves a bit awkwardly. He falls under the unfortunate influence of a couple of haddocks. The love of a pretty blonde woman will save him from this embarrassment.
Crainquebille, merchant of four seasons, is sentenced to fifteen days in prison for having insulted a police officer. When he leaves, his clientele moves away from him and Crainquebille thinks of suicide, when the affection of a kid from Montmartre makes him change his mind.