The charismatic, surly son of a wealthy industrialist, Clément (Jean-Louis Trintignant) leads a double life as a member of a right-wing extremist organization. When he’s ratted out after a failed assassination attempt on a prominent politician, Clément and his long-suffering wife Anne (the luminous German screen siren Romy Schneider) flee Paris to the idyllic country home of his childhood friend, pacifist print-maker Paul (Henri Serre). As affection blossoms between Paul and Anne, the emotional as well as political tensions soar and eventually explode.