The Second World War in France. Marie Latour, a mother of two children, performs illegal abortions and leases a room to a prostitute who is familiar to her in order to make ends meet on a limited income. She doesn't pay attention to her husband, who has returned from the battlefield as a result of his disability, and instead goes about her business. Abortions eventually begin to generate a nice revenue, and boredom may be easily alleviated by engaging in sexual relations with a young lover...