After the death of his son, travel writer Macon Leary seems to be sleep walking through life. Macon's wife is having similar problems. They separate, and Macon meets a strange, outgoing woman who brings him 'back down to earth', but his wife soon thinks their marriage is still worth another try.

The life and love affairs of a 12-year-old boy Pierre who lived in France during the Nazi occupation in 1944. We see his family, his chubby friend, the girl who ignores him - and the German defector who hides in the cellar. He suffers from a slightly more prominent nasal appendage than the average of his congeners. This complex initially serving it, will ultimately be the detonator of his success with women and the entire population of the city.