Martine, an upper-class Parisian woman, pays hardly any attention to her young son and has contempt for her husband, who’s cheating on her with her best friend. It’s with little enthusiasm that she expects her sister Louise, a beautician from Mans, for a three-day visit. The reason for Louise’s visit is that she has an important meeting with an editor who’s interested in her first novel.
Louise’s obvious happiness exasperates Martine, who did all she could to forget her past in Mans and the cruelty of their alcoholic mother. Rather than rekindle these sorrowful memories, her sister’s tranquil happiness makes Martine realize the emptiness of her own existence.