La Ciotat, the South of France, summer. Antoine has agreed to attend a writing workshop in which a few young people have to write a crime thriller with the help of Olivia, a famous novelist. The writing process will recall the town's industrial past, a form of nostalgia that doesn't interest Antoine. More concerned with the fears of the modern world, the young man soon clashes with the group and Olivia, who will be both alarmed and captivated by Antoine's violence.