1895. Discovery of X-rays. Researchers and scholars are true martyrs, because they do not know how to protect themselves against radiation dermatitis. Professor Belcour has to have one hand amputated, his assistant Henri Vermont, aware of the danger, has the courage to break up with his fiancée. Withdrawn to the countryside, they eventually recover.
Étienne, a very sensitive being, watches helplessly as his mother suffers from his father's infidelities. He tries to seduce his father's next conquest without his knowledge.
