Sylvie, a young woman who believes to be cursed, lives in the town of Carcassonne with her guardian, Mr. Toulzac. He is a retired teacher who wishes to discover the secret of the Cathars, a Christian sect of the Middle Ages that glorified death over life. Sylvie meets Roland, a composer who instills new hope into her troubled mind. Mr. Toulzac then asks her then to renounce the world and go down a secret tomb he has just found.
Cambo, a banker, has been in trouble since a certain Parizot has tried to extort stocks from him. Following the advice of his friend Quincampoix, Cambo decides to trade places with Bardac, a painter, who happens to be his lookalike. Bardac slips into Cambo's shoes with delight although he does not really live up to his task. But Cambo, who manages to ruin Parizot, makes a 100% profit on the situation. There are of course some misunderstandings when one man is mistaken for the other, notably as concerns Lulu and Geneviève, respectively Bardac's and Cambo's sweethearts, but things finally return to their initial state.
The novelist Loïc Limousin knew the turbulent past of Marie-Martine and he extracted the material for a novel from which the young girl risks paying the price. After the drama that had thrown her in prison, she met a brave boy ready to make his life with her. Will the scandal separate them?
Professor Louis Delage is a kidney transplant specialist. He is so good in his field that his peers nickname him the "great man". But one day, one of his patients die during surgery and Delage starts doubting. Is he actually such a great man? To fight desperation he decides to take in the deceased child while devoting more time to Florence, his hitherto neglected wife.
Having lost his memory due to serving in World War I, Gaston has spent the past 15 years in a psychiatric hospital. Due to his large disability pension fund, several families claim him as their missing son. Gaston is introduced to the Renaud family by the Duchess Dupont-Dufort and her lawyer. The Renaud family attempt to revive Gaston's memory with stories of his past, but he is apalled by some of the things he hears and dislikes the man he is supposed to be.
Meg decides to commit suicide to escape the marriage to which her father intends her. She is saved by Jean-Pierre, another candidate for suicide, and Léon, a tramp who was just trying to reason with him. The trio then becomes inseparable and organizes a new life based on friendship and freedom.
Monsieur Benoit's existence is transformed when his dour wife suddenly thinks in a bout of folly that she will become a chanteuse and her husband the impresario.
Barnes, the mate of the 'Portland', is the object of the hate of the whole ship's crew. His mistress is murdered shortly before the departure and suspicion naturally falls on him. Some time later, Jeff Cooper, the skipper, falls to his death in the middle of the night. Once again Barnes is suspected and the mate has to resort to force to maintain his authority on board. During the stopover, Barnes is interrogated and finally cleared. He is even appointed captain of the 'Portland' in replacement of Jeff and can marry his best friend's daughter.
During WW1, a train is stopped by a bombing, a young soldier takes advantage of the opportunity to go to his native village to see his parents.
An inventor has just developed an extraordinary machine, a disintegrating ray and thought detector. He experiences it one evening on a group of relatives, including his fiancée, and it seems to turn into a tragedy: he is found lifeless, apparently poisoned. A man calling himself a police officer begins to investigate.
The owner of the place of Chamonix covets the inn, run by the Michel's uncle, whose business goes bad. Michel decides to participate in a ski competition to help uncle.
Jojo is a seventeen-year-old factory worker living poorly in Aubervilliers with his grandmother. Dissatisfied with his lackluster everyday life, Jojo dreams of the high life. He starts mixing with shady individuals such as thieves and traffickers. At a time, he even contemplates murdering a rich butcher. Fortunately, his protector Monsieur Charles, a warm-hearted gangster, will stop him from carrying out this crazy plan, thus wasting his young life.
