A passionate affair set against the intense encounter between a film-maker and a novelist. The story begins with young scriptwriter François tracking down the author of a once-scandalous novel. His aim is to adapt the work for the screen but several elements of the novel he finds difficult to comprehend. The author, Jeanne, is initially cautious of relaying information, insisting the presumably autobiographical book in no way relates to her personal life. However, eventually she takes the man into confidence to tell the background of Benvenuta.
French rocker Johnny Halliday stars as a professional thief just released from jail. He returns to stealing to support his family. After several successful thefts, he decides to include his under-aged kid into the "family business".
A couple of bourgeois intellectuals, Carlo and Silvia are married for twenty years. But they wearily live their relationship separately; while she lives in their original flat in Rome, he lives with a young lover, Lù from time to time in his house in the country while writing a book. He does not keep his relationship hidden from his wife and even accepts that Silvia may have lovers, among them in particular a young and violent neo-fascist. But this relationship rekindles Carlo's jealousy and he becomes obsessed by knowing everything about her affairs and jealousy makes him blind. The film navigates between eroticism, decadence and perversion, in an obscure game with no wins or winners.
Claude Massoulier is murdered while hunting at the same place as Julien Vercel, an estate agent who knew him and whose fingerprints are found on Massoulier's car. As the police discover that Marie-Christine Vercel, Julien's wife, was Massoulier's mistress, Julien is the prime suspect. But his secretary, Barbara Becker, while not quite convinced he is innocent, defends him and leads her private investigations.
Fred is a gambler and deep in debt. He owes crime boss Victor a lot of money and the time to pay has come. He decides to take a massive risk to refund his debts and agrees to kill a man. Fred knows he has to pay his debt and that the only way to do it is to carry out the hit arranged by Victor.
After three elderly men are bitten by spiders, everyone assumes that their deaths are tragic accidents. But at police headquarters in Paris, Inspector Adamsberg begins to suspect that the case is far more complex than first appears.
Prof. Henri Laborit uses the stories of the lives of three people to discuss behaviorist theories of survival, combat, rewards and punishment, and anxiety. René is a technical manager at a textile factory and must face the anxiety caused by corporate downsizing. Janine is a self-educated actress/stylist who learns that the wife of her lover is dying and must decide to let them reunite. Jean is a controversial career-climbing writer/politician at a crossroads in life.