The story of how the people of Paris cope with the strains and struggles of war, from the siege of the city by the Prussians during the Franco-Prussian War of 1871 to the invasion by the Germans in World War II.
The daughter of the austere professor Smithson, during a walk on skis, loses her balance, revealing her underwear. An indiscreet photographed the scene. Smithson demands that his daughter marry this man, but who is he? He luckily turns out to be the young man she loves.
A boudoir adventure during which the seductive Madame Jolivet, shocked by the behavior of her husband who appears with an actress, calls on the services of a young man, known as "the man of joy".