Celestine, the chambermaid, is looking for a new job in the country at the Lanlaires. She decides to use her beauty to seduce a wealthy man but Mr. Lanlaire is not the right choice. The house is firmly controlled by Mme. Lanlaire and helped by the strange valet Joseph.
She tries her luck with the neighbor, ex-officer Mauger. This seems to work as he becomes attracted to her and even asks her to marry him. But soon the son of the Lanlaires comes back. He is young, attractive, and does not share his mother's anti-republicans opinions. So Celestine's beauty attracts Captain Mauger, young Georges Lanlaire, and also Joseph. Three men, from three different social classes, with three different conceptions of life. Will Celestine be able to convince Georges of her sincerity? Will sinister and inflexible Joseph let his views upon Celestine be ruined?
This quite disillusioning depiction of humanity portrays a world where appearances are everything and true feelings are often misunderstood.
