The 1920s-set story concerns two violinist friends, Marcel and Pierre. One is famous and the other is not. Both are happy with their choices, but at a certain point Marcel falls in love with Romaine, his friend's wife. Pierre seems to suspect nothing and Romaine deliberately neglects him when he falls ill. While Marcel is away concert tour Romaine betrays both of them, having casual liaisons. At the end she realises she loves both Pierre and Marcel but cannot make a decision and ends up committing suicide. This melodrama with an obviously comedic slant was a watershed in Resnais' career, whereby his films from then on tended more to comedy than to drama. Azema and Arditi both won Césars for best performances.
