A French actress is in Hiroshima to shoot a film on peace. She meets a Japanese man and they embark on a sexual relationship. While they make love she recounts her life and tells of her love for a German soldier, for which she was shamed and had her head shaved as punishment after the war. Images of the victims of the Hiroshima atomic bomb form the background to the story. An interesting fact is that along with composer George Delerue, there was musical input from Giovanni Fusco, soundtrack composer for Michelangelo Antonioni. Marguerite Duras was nominated for an Oscar, both for the original story and for the screenplay.
