Ann (Jean Seberg), a 19 year old American woman, arrives in the city of light to visit her uncle, a doctor. But she soon finds herself taking care of a professional woman who is recovering from a suicide attempt and a broken heart. Ann slowly builds up a hatred for the man who drove her charge into such a desperate state but then begins to waver after contact with him. Aside from this association, she meets a different crowd than the one she knew back home in Nebraska, and changes in her attitude, dress, and hairstyle are the result. These alterations only lead her into trouble, as she starts an affair with the very man she had hated earlier.