In this disturbing drama, based on a novel by "San Antonio" (Frédéric Dard), Léon (Serge Riaboukine) has a wife who is as near to being dead as she can be and still be among the living, and she has been in this state for some time. He is also the worshipful secretary for an overbearing actor/director, Boris (Jean-Pierre Mocky), a man for whom he will do just about anything. However, his need to care for his wife interferes with performing unlimited services for his adored boss, and it is for that reason that he kills her. For a while, his blissful servitude knows no bounds, but his wife's sister smells a rat, and soon his cozy, masochistic relationship with Boris is endangered. Boris, meanwhile, has a quite lovely wife whom he ignores in favor of humiliating her by openly seducing other women.