Yves Tréguier, a young orphan, escapes from a reform school in Brittany to join "Dédé la Glace" in Paris, an old-timer with whom he has a sincere friendship. The love of Zette, a young girl he has met, and the benevolent friendship of Father Blain, the bistro owner, give him the desire for regular work. "Jo le Grec", a pimp jealous of Dédé's friendship with Yves, seduces Wanda, a prostitute he loves, and shoots Dédé dead. Blain prevents him from doing the same to Yves, and shoots him in turn. Yves can live an honest life with Zette and the baby she's expecting.

Believing that her husband is cheating on her, Jacqueline decides to take revenge and goes to find Ernest, a chilled sigh. But in her bachelor apartment, she cannot decide to push her revenge to the end.

An accomplished young man, Prince Stéphane is destined for a brilliant future but when he finds out that Marie, his beloved fiancée, has had an affair with the man he respects the most, Tsar Nicolas 1er in person, the shock is terrible. Unable to recover, he chooses religion and becomes a monk and a hermit. He becomes known as a healer and worshiped as a saint, although he himself is aware of his many weaknesses. The day he learns Marie is seriously ill Le père Serge formerly known as Prince Stéphane leaves sanctity behind and hits the road for Saint Petersburg.

On the Franco-Belgian border, large and small traffickers engage in their illicit activities. For his part, a policeman is working to put an end to smuggling in the area.

After his wife's death, a man discovers that his daughter may not be his.