Antoine (Pigaut) works as a foreman in a book printing factory and his wife Antoinette (Mafféi) is a salesgirl at a department store. They live in a modest Parisian apartment in a  vibrant, working-class neighborhood, trying to make ends meet and dreaming of better things. When Antoine realizes that they hold a winning lottery ticket, the couple is overjoyed. But Antoine misplaces his wallet in the Metro and plunges into despair. Will he ever find that ticket?

Becker’s fifth film is a charming slice of post-war French life, where the plot takes a back seat to its affectionate depiction of Paris, its charming streets, and colorful characters. Shot on set and on location, the comic romance prefigures the naturalism of the New Wave, with an earthy approach to sex that was ahead of its time. Crises occur (mainly instigated by Roquevert’s lecherous grocer), but ultimately love conquers all in this buoyant Cannes prize-winner.