A man is shot In the hotel of an imaginary South American country. Clarence and Montès, two inspector students, must solve this murder, but they don't know that dead guy is the USA public enemy No.1.
As her neighbor Rémi Courmont has told her off for making his ears bleed with Ravel's Bolero, a music piece she plays at full volume all the time, Anne-Marie decides to get even with him. She sets up a hoax with the complicity of her friend Catherine, who agrees to post as Remi's mistress to embarrass him. Just then, Niquette, Rémi's real lover, resurfaces.
Russia, 1835. Lieutenant Hermann, a compulsive gambler, is fascinated by an infallible martingale held by Countess Tomski, nicknamed The Queen of Spades. The day Hermann wants to wring the secret from her, the countess dies of fear. Following this tragic scene, Hermann sinks into dementia. Luckily, Lisa, his frail lover, brings him back to life and happiness.