Stressed and overworked, famous French movie star Michel Blanc is beginning to wear down, physically and mentally, from the pressure and demands of fame. Already in a fragile state of mind, strange events start to transpire all around him, and he gradually loses his grip. Taking the advice of a psychiatrist, Blanc retreats to the countryside with his friend Carole Bouquet, but Blanc still has not managed to escape all of his problems.

A woman fights to adopt a war baby from the Third World after becoming unable to conceive.

A drunken, self-destructive woman called Betty wanders into a Parisian bar where she meets middle-aged alcoholic Laure. Laure decides to take care of Betty. Recovering in a hotel room, Betty begins to recount to Laure the story of her bourgeois life and her unhappy and unfaithful marriage.

Fleeing fame, the writer Anatole Hirsch decides to publish his new book under the name of his cousin, Martin Bassane. This book wins the Prix Goncourt. A film inspired by the story of Romain Gary.

Edouard is patriarch of a large family: his second wife, Jeanne, has just had a baby and finally had enough of his philandering. As the marriage between them unravels, Edouard's daughters experience their own emotional shock waves. Dina, in a relationship with playwright Paul, wants more from her daily life, while Sidone is married to a fellow musician but is terrified of performing in public. Fast-forward seven years: Edouard is gravely ill, and the family shares their issues, hopes and fears.