This Great War drama opens in the trenches during an artillery bombardment. Receiving bayonet wounds, young Simon (Guillaume Depardieu) drops out of the action, joining other injured soldiers at a Brittany hospital. One day he meets schoolteacher Marthe (Clotilde Courau), who lives in the household of the hospital's head doctor (Bernard Giraudeau). Soon a romance begins to develop. Cinematography by Kevin Jewison, son of director Norman Jewison.

Progressing from movement workshops led by dancer Dimitri Chamblas, choreographer Mathilde Monnier and performer Yves-Noel Genod into a multi-layered story, the film follows a group of young artist-performers as they attempt to stage a revolutionary action.