After four years of bloody warfare Bernard Jacquelain returns from the trenches a changed man. No more the naïve hopes and dreams of the teenager who went to war. Attracted by the lure of money and success, Bernard falls in with Renée and Raymond Détang, a couple whose life of luxuriant delinquency is supported by suspect financial dealings and loose morals. Yet when Renée Détang throws him off, he turns to his wholesome childhood friend Thérèse for comfort.