The story of a hotel boss that, from time to time, observes the couples in the rooms and even films them.

Inspector Bérurier, having inherited a mansion three years earlier, comes to collect rent from the tenant when the latter is murdered under mysterious circumstances. Béru calls Commissaire San Antonio to the rescue, and the two men discover that Laurenzi's hotel is home to a "brothel" whose director, Madame Albertine, soon reveals to the two policemen that Laurenzi was having an ongoing relationship with Helga, one of the boarders, and Mr. Max, a regular guest of the house.

After serving together in the French Foreign Legion, a mercenary and a doctor leave the service and go their separate ways. Later, they are reunited and become involved with a caper involving millions in a high-security safe. The two men become locked in during a holiday weekend as they attempt to crack the safe's combination.

Catherine Guérande (Valeria Ciangottini), a 19-year-old attractive Parisian girl, decides to become a prostitute after a messy love affair. She did not count on Pornotropos (Jean Yanne), a brutal racketeer who runs the profitable business of model agencies, cabarets, and camping sites, backed by Thanatos (Jean-Marie Fertey), his brother, who runs the mugging and murder side of their business. Pornotropos is not taking it well that a freelancer is around reducing his profits, and he sets his girls to harass and beat her up. Catherine does not take his mistreatment and moves to another brothel. But luck has it that an old man (Roger Karl) dies in her room, and that he was the owner of a marketing agency. Paul (Jacques Destoop), a young and handsome executive in his company, decides to investigate the shady causes of death of his late boss, and when Paul meets Catherine it's love at first sight.

Lambert Strether goes to France to rescue a young American from a European adventuress - only to fall under the spell of Europe himself. 1965 BBC adaptation of the Henry James novel.