A high-speed automobile crash provides the impetus for a prominent architect (Piccoli) to reevaluate his relationship with both his estranged wife (Massari) and his mistress (Schneider). As the architect drifts into and out of consciousness, Sautet reveals his character’s obsessions with the mundane aspects of life and his inability to completely break from his marriage or make a firm commitment to his new lover. Sautet demonstrates his mastery of the exploration of romantic entanglements by focusing on the more intimate, less eventful moments shared by his characters.