Set in colonial French Indochina during the 1930s to 1950s, this is the story of Éliane Devries, a French plantation owner, and of her adopted Vietnamese daughter, Camille, set against the backdrop of the rising Vietnamese nationalist movement.
The film begins with a flashback from the titular character, Antoine. We are introduced to his fixation with female hairdressers which began at a young age. The film uses flashbacks throughout and there are frequent parallels drawn with the past. We are unsure what Antoine has done with his life, however, we know he has fulfilled his childhood ambition, to marry a hairdresser.
After the death of her father, 22-year-old Céline inherits most of his estate, but gives it to her stepmother, causing her greedy fiancé to leave her. Following several failed suicide attempts, Céline is hospitalized and comes to the attention of a nurse, Genevieve, who has struggled with depression. Under her personal care, Céline gradually recovers, and the two women grow close.
Adrien is a nineteen year old who has not seen his father, Clément, for four years. Adrien returns home and the two try to repair their relationship. Clément lives with Louise, a twenty-something woman who wants to be an actress. Adrien starts a flirtatious relationship with Louise, which strains his newfound bond with Clément.
Hippolyte, the titular oddball, is a far from typical country lawyer. He has been happily married to the woman of his dreams for 15 years, but has an incurable penchant for practical (or rather impractical) jokes.
A look at the last few days of in the life of composer Frédéric Chopin's professional life.
Marie has always been somewhat independent and is considered by some to be a bit of a tomboy. Though she is not quite a teenager, her photographer father has no qualms about leaving her alone for a while when he has to go off on an assignment. One day, while she is walking along, she gets run down by an automobile. The contrite woman driving that car sees to it that she is all right, and before long the two of them have become fast friends. Lilas, the driver, is a prostitute, and she discovers that she has a thing or two to teach the kid about femininity and men. Before long, the precocious youth is trying out her newfound powers of seduction on a family friend.
More than just an abbreviated form of "La Belle Noiseuse", Rivette re-cut his footage with some important differences in point of view - this one being more from Marianne's point of view
Emile Michel, Lapland, orphan, is obliged to bring back within the tribe the ancestral totem: a gold plumb line "borrowed" formerly by his grandfather Raymond Michel. His quest will take him aboard a floating boat that crosses Baffin Bay in the icy waters of Greenland.
