Nicole Védrèss' chronicle of Paris from 1900 to 1914 is brought to life through the use of original material, all authentic, secured from more then 700 films belonging to public and private collections. A few of the celebrities of the time shown are Enrico Caruso, Sarah Bernhardt, and Maurice Chevalier.
Lafraise and Plumard, two rookies on the ship Le Victorieux, are on leave in the port of Toulon. At a time they get lost and in order to escape the Navy patrolmen, they disguise themselves and board a train. Now it happens that in the convoy a delegate of the government is on his way to Paris, with the mission to inaugurate a monument there. But the circumstances are such that our two friends are mistaken for the Minister and his secretary. Unabashed, the pair does the job, in other words, they deliver the expected speech, eat like horses, live it up - until they are recognized. Which eventually results in a prolonged stay in an unpleasant kind of hotel room named - the hold.
