A star is born in a time of both celebration and instability in this historical drama with music from director Christophe Barratier. In the spring of 1936, Paris is in a state of uncertainty; while the rise of the Third Reich in Germany worries many, a leftist union-oriented candidate, Léon Blum, has been voted into power, and organized labor is feeling its new power by standing up to management.
A young woman arrives in Paris where she finds a job as a waitress in bar next on Avenue Montaigne that caters to the surrounding theaters and the wealthy inhabitants of the area. She will meet a pianist, a famous actress and a great art collector, and become acquainted with the "luxurious" world her grandmother has told her about since her childhood.
In 17th century France, cardinal Mazarin's death squad kills young Blanche's parents. She grows up to become a thief and steels a substance called Powder of the Devil and a coded letter that were sent to cardinal Mazarin. He is furious.
At a mundane evening, Joseph recalls the strange love affair he lived with a young widow, met during a visit to Père-Lachaise. But was it really a love story?