Antoine - a grieving loner - spends his days in a cafe on Place Clichy watching people. Every day, he sees a woman he calls Albertine get out of the subway and go to the movies. Today, he takes it upon himself to talk to her. Thus began Antoine's down-going.

Thus Began Antoine's Down-Going

Jean is a "slow" man, he builds his life around his anxieties, and considers himself unsuited to life in society. He lives with Alex, who is a "fast" man. Passionate about aerodynamics and eurodance, Alex lives fast and asks himself as few questions as possible. One morning, he receives a fast friend, Lou, at their place, while Jean had also planned to receive a slow friend, Caroline.