Monique Clarence

Three sketches that all start in the police station, where Léa, La Pintade and the brigadier himself tell their little stories. The story of Danielle, who bamboozled the impresario Mortimer so well that he made her his wife; the story of the sad little Simon, deprived of a father and unable to stand the mockery of his friends; and the story of the daughter of an ex-convict who - by golly - steals a statue on the day of her First Communion.

Young Monique leaves the preventorium where Doctor Delaunay has lovingly cared for her. A painful return. Her mother Denise lives with Eugène, a handsome, disreputable young man who's easy to please and, on occasion, won't hesitate to steal. He hangs around Monique, excited by her freshness, until the day he is shot on suspicion of the disappearance of a mobster. Monique is reunited with Dr Delaunay, much to the satisfaction of her guardian Gilbert, known as Patte-en-moins, owner of the local bistro.