The privileged son (Mingand) of a wealthy doctor is compelled to fend for himself after alienating his father. He takes up with a gang of car thieves but his affections for the gang leader’s sister (Darrieux) puts him in great peril. Wilder’s career in France was brief (he directed one feature and wrote numerous scripts for which he did not receive credit before leaving for Hollywood) and reflects his sense of displacement; Mauvaise graine lacks the comic dexterity of his later films but provides an effective balance of humor and suspense for which he would later gain great acclaim.