奥迪勒是一个深受观众喜爱的演员，也是一个人过中年的单身妈妈。排练剧目以外的绝大部分时间，奥迪勒都是和两个非常要好的朋友玛丽亚和娜塔丽一起度过的，经常是在夜里喝酒跳舞到很晚才回家，然后就和女儿玛莉住在一起，所以也就不显得寂寞和失落。但自从女儿玛莉搬出去和男朋友同居以后，一种从未有过的寂寞和失落感困绕在奥迪勒的心头。

France in the early 60s. Simon, a wrestler, wears a white mask. In the ring, he is known as "The Specter". He suggests to his friend Victor who has just returned from combat to be his adversary in the ring and wear a black mask, and be known as "The Slaughterer of Belleville". But for Victor, still shaken from his experience in combat, this is too much; for once in his life he would like to be the good guy, the one people cheer on. Simon then suggests they switch masks. But it proves less easy to fool the rest of the wrestling crowd...