Miután Gervaise-t a nehézéletű mosónőt gyermekeinek apja elhagyja, hozzámegy egy derék bádogosmesterhez, akivel tisztes szegénységben él, míg a férfi egy baleset következtében elveszíti állását. Gervaise inni kezd, s a végső elzülléstől kislánya, Nana próbálja megmenteni...
Normandy, second half of the nineteenth century. Jeanne Dandieu lives in a manor house with her parents and their servant Rosalie. She gets to know Julien, a handsome man, whom she soon marries. Her happiness is short-lived as she finds out that not only has Julien married her for her money but he cheats on her as well, with Rosalie to crown it all.
Rouen, Normandia, 1431, a százéves háború idején. Miután az ellenfél francia katonái elfogták, Jeanne d'Arc-ot, Orléans szűzét igazságtalanul bíróság elé állítja az angol ellenségei által felügyelt egyházi bíróság.
After thirteen years in Germany, Fernand is coming back to his wife and his restaurant. But since his disparition, his wife as made her life with a norman chef, sympathetic but a specialist of butter's cooking when Fernand cook only with oil!
Raven, a mobster just released from prison, settles the score by murdering Mendetta and her partner, who had turned him in. Having taken over Mendetta's various bars, he finds himself at war with other mobsters who want to kill him.