October 1941. Eighteen months into France’s occupation by German troops, young Communist members of the Resistance shoot dead an officer of the German Army. In retaliation, Hitler demands the deaths of 150 Frenchmen, as 'retribution'. The targets are to be mostly young men believed to share the assassins’ political convictions. Most of these men are taken from an internment camp for opponents of the occupation; a 35-year-old French rural administrator is ordered to select the victims. Although the parish priest appeals to their conscience and moral sensibilities, both the German military and their French helpers slavishly follow their orders.

“Kill the Roach” is a dance step improvised by a child in front of his father. They find themselves in the heart of old Paris on a square in Montmartre. While the father tries in vain to seduce passers-by with his mime skills, his son, out of compassion, takes his place by dancing with gestures close to break-dancing. The public is won over. Finally, an incident makes them meet a singer who will allow them to perform on stage during an innovative show, mixing mime, singing and break-dancing.