This film is made up several sketches in which certain actors play several real or fictional roles to a background of rock music. The lead character, played by Godard himself, is an annoyingly perfectionist film-maker determined to wring every last drop of the finest performance possible from his stars.

A particularly unlucky man meets a beautiful young woman, daughter of a rich businessman. This one, pursued by blackmailers, is going to take him along in her galleys.

Charlie, a young aristocrat in turn of the century England, meets a boy named Frank on the road to Portsmouth. What Charlie doesn't realize is that Frank is actually Frances, who's donned a disguise to escape working at a brothel. Charlie takes Frank/Frances into his home, and when he discovers her true identity, the two become lovers.

The life of a Parisian photo model turns into a nightmare when the photographer with whom she used to work begins to pursue her constantly but she refuses his offers.

Paris, end of May 1981. It is the last day of school; the summer vacations are beginning. Moreover, France has just voted for change. The Vercrest family is in turmoil. Richard Vercrest, the father runs an insurance company. Suzie, his daughter is eighteen years old. In general, the relationship between them is excellent. But Suzie is in crisis: she wants to "escape the system". To begin with, she wants to drop out of school and find a job. Richard reacts badly to the unexpected decisions of this girl, who until then had been "gifted". He freaks out and she breaks down. But everything gets better when the father finally follows his daughter in her new path.

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.