François, director of a primary school, teaches third graders. It's a demanding position, leaving him little time for his private life. But he is committed. At the beginning of the school year, his daughter has come to stay with him. Laura is 14 and has arrived from Tahiti with her mother for the first time after his separation, shaking up his calm existence. In the school courtyard, behind the playful games and laughter of the kids, their cries mask problems they struggle with on a day to day basis. Francois is more than a teacher, he's a friend and a protector.

In Paris in 1935, a young Jewish woman married to an anti-fascist activist befriends her neighbor who is dating a far-right supporter.