Normandy, France, 1976. After 2 years of wild love with Nadia, Pouplard - unemployed heating engineer, working in his girlfriend's butcher's - decides to marry her and leave for good his (regular) wife and daughter.. He'll have to struggle against his own jealousy and Nadia's incredible sexappeal to get through this 'moment de vie'.
Madame Bertini, a newly widowed 70-year-old miser, has lived a sheltered life in squalour. She determines to venture into the modern world and have as much fun as possible, and in doing so finds that she loves it. She blows her life savings, much to the disapproval of the young people around her.
Francois is engaged to Isabelle. While going to buy the engagement ring, he meets Sophie, who puts the ring on her finger and does not manage to remove it. Francois follows in the footsteps of Sophie, who is married to an important merchant, in order to recover his property.
In order to please Martineau, a wealthy industrialist, cynical Gabory accepts to organize a rigged beauty contest whose winner will be Françoise, Martineau's young mistress. However, there are other comely contestants among whom Christiane, the daughter of a general, Jackie, an unemployed actress, Colette, the daughter of a distiller and Marie, a secretary engaged to serious-minded construction foreman Robert. So, will things turn out exactly the way Martineau and Gabory want them...?
Cyrano, poet and cadet from Gascony, is afflicted with an excessively long nose which makes the beauties smile. He is no less in love with his cousin Roxane.
