The story of an exquisitely beautiful 25-year-old, Nelly, who is stuck in a bad marriage and overwhelmed by financial problems. Then she meets Monsieur Arnaud, an elegant but lonely man 40 years her senior, who, for no apparent reason, offers to pay her debts, and gives her a job typing his memoirs.

The story of an exquisitely beautiful 25-year-old, Nelly, who is stuck in a bad marriage and overwhelmed by financial problems. Then she meets Monsieur Arnaud, an elegant but lonely man 40 years her senior, who, for no apparent reason, offers to pay her debts, and gives her a job typing his memoirs. With a new sense of freedom, Nelly files for divorce and begins a new life. Monsieur Arnaud becomes captivated by Nelly, and discreetly tries to seduce her. As their work together grows increasingly intimate, a new factor imposes itself: Vincent, Arnaud's publisher, is also taken with Nelly. While the two men vie for her affections, Monsieur Arnaud agonizes over his inability to have her.