这是二次大战后的第一部巴黎工人生活写照的法国电影。故事描绘一位女店员和一位男印刷工人的生活与恋情，特别是他们的彩票中了奖，虽然彩票一时遗落，好在后来失而复得。

生意人麦斯（让·加宾 Jean Gabin 饰）游走于城市中灯火颓靡的场所，与一些黑帮人物保持着来往，不少女人欣赏他沉稳又不失轻佻的做派。是日，麦斯与合作多年的搭档里顿在舞厅里为毒贩安格罗提供了帮助，其时安格罗与里顿的情妇有染，麦斯虽心知肚明，但并未挑破，只是埋怨里顿把过多的精力用在不必要的地方。麦斯将里顿带回秘密住处，告之自己因汽车生意意外得到了价值五千万法郎的金砖。但消息不慎走漏，安格罗等人本欲为女人枪杀里顿，得知金砖存在之后遂将目标改变。麦斯独自摆脱追踪，里顿反因情妇被对方控制，一番权衡之下，麦斯组织人手，要从安格罗手中救下里顿……
本片获1954年威尼斯电影节最佳男主角奖。

A sailor, who meets a lovely music hall singer during a police raid, falls in love. In a contest at a fair, he defeats a former boxing champ. The ex-champ trains the sailor to become a boxer. After he wins the French championship, the sailor is swayed by easy money and a sultry coquette. The singer goes on a singing tour, and the sailor falls into decadence. He enters the European championship spiritually empty and in bad condition.

In the 1950s, in a small provincial town, a young inexperienced judge clashes with an influential notable during an investigation into a suspicious death. His perseverance to get to the truth will cause a huge scandal.

Émile targets women he believes are too depressed to go on living. As multiple victims fall to his suffocating white scarf, an inspector resorts to unorthodox methods to get him with the assistance of a potential victim.