In a rural setting on the weather-beaten French Atlantic coast, the ten year old daughter of a single mother is implicated in murder. Crime scene evidence contradicts the story of the talented, introverted child as expressed in her Mangas.
Claire Rousset visits her ex-husband Pierre who lives in the Lyon region. For some time now, Pierre's health and that of the other inhabitants of the village has deteriorated to the point of becoming worrying.
Nathalie, traumatized by the death of a child she had to look after, is hired by Marti to take care of the little Serge, his son. The boy is abnormal, immured in silence. Nathalie brings him out of his shell and becomes attached to her protege. She feels his life is threatened: serious incidents happen. For Christmas, they are alone, and the child mysteriously disappears. She discovers him in the basement, locked up in a chest.
A moody pianist-composer and his voluptuous strip-tease dancing babe are avoiding reality at a French seaside resort. The resort's young female manager has a dying husband on her hands, and becomes attracted to the composer. When the husband dies, accusations and recriminations fly, combined with various betrayals and jealousies.
