Jean-Louis Trintignant (Z, The Conformist) is Clément, a member of a right-wing terrorist organization who becomes involved in a political assassination attempt. A member of his gang betrays him and he hides out with his wife Anne (a luminous Romy Schneider) in the country home of a childhood friend, Paul (Henri Serre, Jim of Jules and Jim). Clément defines macho, with his surly incommunicativeness and sudden outbursts of violence, with Anne often its recipient. Paul, by contrast, is a gentle pacifist, and as affection grows between him and Anne, the emotional as well as political tension soar.