A group of policemen look over three murder cases including a cutthroat that prays on young women, a madman that hid his deformed landlord's corpse in the floor, and a wine aficionado who buries his friend alive.
Mayor of the village
La Carcasse, an obtuse peasant, lives with his wife Lucie and his father-in-law Tord-cou. At odds with his son-in-law, the Tord-cou takes it into his head to marry Thérésa, the daughter of their neighbor Casimir. But the Carcass, too, feels attracted to the young woman...
François, a young student at a provincial college, likes Colette, the daughter of the headmaster. Turlot his colleague, who commits suicide, left a diary where he writes of his relationship with Colette.
On the banks of the Rhône, not far from Tain l'Hermitage, Alcide Garonne, an old ferryman - and incidentally a poacher - lives out of wedlock with Victorine Rousset nicknamed Maryse, a colorful tramp. When Garrone's son, Pilou, a worker, falls in love with Augusta, the mayor's daughter, the unconventional old couple tries to protect the unconventional young pair from the disapproval of self righteous villagers.
Georges, hunted by the Germans, had taken refuge with his brother, Commissioner PJ Paris. Once released, he teams up for the sake of a girl with the lackluster Zattore. A bank is robbed, but the police is fast and Georges will either lose his life.
An alcoholic doctor accidentally kills someone and manages to make the death look like an accident. The episode triggers a sense of confidence and he resolves to correct the miseries of his life.
