When jewel thief Simon (Lino Ventura) is released from prison early, the police trail him to locate the still-missing goods. Simon, a veteran criminal, knows the cops are following, so he ditches them and tracks down his former partner, Charlot (Charles Gérard). They swap stories of better times and their jewel heist, and Charlot hands over Simon's cut. With his freedom and fortune, Simon decides to locate Françoise (Françoise Fabian), his former lover, and revive their romance.