A young man, Norbert, enters his father's study to claim his monthly allowance. His father obliges, but the son presses for more, citing a debt he owes a schoolmate. The father dismisses him and an appeal to his mother fails. He tries to pawn his watch to a friend, who instead gives him a forged 500-franc note. The boys take the counterfeit to a photo shop and use it to purchase a picture frame. When the store's co-manager finds out, he scolds his partner for her gullibility. She chides him in return for having accepted two forged notes the previous week. He then vows to pass off all three forged notes at the next opportunity. He uses them to pay Yvon for delivering heating oil. Yvon tries to pay his restaurant tab with the forged notes, but the waiter recognizes them as counterfeit. Yvon is arrested and at his trial the photo shop people lie. 

Yvon, chauffeur-livreur dans une compagnie de fioul domestique, est injustement accusé d'avoir essayé d'écouler dans un café trois faux billets de 500 francs reçus d'un photographe, ce qui lui vaut un procès et la perte de son emploi. Il se rend ensuite complice d'un braquage, et est condamné à trois ans de prison. Il subit de dures épreuves : sa fille meurt de maladie et sa compagne le quitte. Le spectateur assiste à la chute du protagoniste, qui en vient à commettre les pires crimes, chute qui est présentée comme une conséquence d'une injustice originelle, elle-même due à l'appât du gain.

DVD-R is in French with switchable English subtitles. Approx. 84 mins. See film sample for audio and video quality!