When he gets out of the orphanage, Marceau, a good-looking youth without much backbone, tries to escape his poverty. He meets Madame Alice, who sets him up as a gigolo and has him pose for erotic photos. The war interrupts their business. When Marceau returns five years later, he is a different man. He meets Dominique, a pure-hearted young girl, and falls in love with her. The young people get engaged. Enraged, Madame Alice tries to prevent the marriage.