Charles Aznavour stars as Eric, an architect-turned-writer who has grown increasingly dissatisfied with his life -- so much so that he turns down an award he has won (and then regrets it). His childhood friend Maurice (Robert Hossein) is a professional safecracker and invites Eric to join him in their next robbery as the planner, or "brains." The first robbery is cancelled, but their second, a bank robbery, takes place as planned.