In 1971 Courbevoie (France), former typographist Julien Bouin and his wife Clemence, who used to perform in a circus, hardly talk to each other in their small house, which is soon to be demolished. To Clemence's anger, Julien's cat Greffier is the only one who gets his attention, let alone love.

Near the Baie de la Seine swamps, opposite the Port of Le Havre, Auguste Maroilleur, an elderly farmer, exploits 400 hectares of crop land with the help of his family, over which he rules with an iron hand. Things go awry the day he discovers one of his grandsons is involved in drug traffic. To make matters worse, the reckless youth has hidden the white powder in the Maroilleur farm. Without a moment's hesitation, Auguste gets rid of the toxic substance but, of course, the mob has different views...

Six months before his retirement from the criminal police, inspector Joss finds his colleague Gouvion dead, in a poorly faked suicide attempt. Joss loses his temper, and investigates on his own, which leads him through the bas-fond of Paris...

Whilst being transferred to a psychiatric hospital, a ruthless serial killer Gassot makes a break and goes on the run. He arrives in Marseilles, intending to escape abroad. Here, he falls for a young prostitute, Gerda.

This film explores the ins and outs of the Dominici Affair that made the headlines back in 1952. As a result of the case, a family man named Gaston Dominici was sentenced to death for the slaying of a family of English tourists alongside a road running past his property, despite the existence of no material proof or motive to incriminate him.

Two students, Antoine, the son of a Southern pedal boat renter, and Marie, the daughter of a Paris railway executive, have got engaged in secret. They are now willing to clarify the situation and decide that their parents should get to know one another before they marry. The summer holidays seem to be the ideal opportunity for that and Antoine invites Marie's family to come and stay for a while at their home in the South. Unfortunately, things do not go too well between the stark Malhouin and the extroverted Lartigue and the relationships soon come close to the breaking point. As for the lovebirds, they are not spared as jealousy gets in their way...

Mr Jo, nicknamed "the man with the Buick", is the darling of the small town of Honfleur. But he is in fact a trafficker with a bad reputation who would like to forget about his past, now limiting himself to smuggling rubies under the cover of a charitable organization which offers underprivileged children holidays in Switzerland. However, Mr. Jo is in love with a pretty widow and, in order to marry her, he is willing to get involved in a hold-up again. And "the man with the Buick", who seemed so honourable, will surprise the inhabitants of Honfleur when Inspector Menard reveals his secret activities.

For 25 years now, under the Provence sun, Antonin, a farmhand, has shared his work and everyday life with a horse named Ulysse. What a shock when Pascal, the farmer, tells him he has decided to sell Ulysse to a picador for being too old. Not only will he be separated from his faithful companion, but he is well aware too that the arenas of Arles mean death for Ulysse. Being unable to stand such injustice, Antonin runs away from the farm in the company of Ulysse. Together, they go through the Lubéron, the Baux de Provence, the Alpilles, the Crau and the Vaccarès. Yet, their journey is no pleasure cruise, specially when it comes to crossing National Road 7. After a visit to Marcellin, an old friend of his, Antonin sets off again with Ulysse, this time towards the Rhône River.

Quantin lives with his family in a village near the Swiss border. He is increasingly anxious that he has received no news from his eldest daughter, Marie-Louise, who went to Lyon to find work as a hairdresser.