Christine Guégan

This French romantic comedy-drama concerns Claude Langmann, a middle-aged auctioneer, who is in a loving marriage with his second wife of 15 years. Though he is deeply in love with his wife and has remained faithful to her, he finds himself unable to perform in bed. His wife says she is satisfied with Claude's love and tenderness, but he visits a sex specialist anyway. There he learns of Viagra, which is not yet approved in France, though it is available in Switzerland over the counter. Soon Claude is on his way to Geneva, and eager to prove his manhood, tries to bed Agnes, his very attractive and very available assistant. His daughter, who also comes along for the trip, interferes with her own problems.

Drunk, Betty is feeling worse and worse, the previous evening is slowly coming back to her: her husband and her husband's family had criticized her harshly, had sent her away. But Betty hadn't wanted to get married in the first place. She knows that she always ruined everything, that she drinks to much, that she has had several affairs. Laure, who is taking care of her, suggests that Betty stay with her in the hotel where she lives, as long as Betty would like. Laure, too, finds solace and companionship in alcohol.

The young Ali, a second year law student, gets caught up in a student demonstration. The situation escalates, a cop is injured and witnesses designate Ali, of Arabic origin, as guilty.

Doctor Valois has invented the "flashage", a cure for depressed people. After having tested it on monkeys, he tries with a first human patient, Alain Durieux. This is great success, everybody's happy except may be Alain's wife, Jeanne, who's worrying about the changes in Alain's personality. Other patients use the treatment with similar successes, and Valois's happy about it. But the monkeys are changing: non-cured ones are made mad by the over-stability and stereotyped behaviour of the cured ones. So are the humans. When Valois realises he can't stop the process, he decides to "flash" himself.