Her job is to feed ideas to the mayor, Paul Théraneau, a divorced man who does not have enough time to read and think.

At a meeting, Alice is impressed by an entrepreneur who has revived a hand-printing business, the last in Lyon, and goes back to his apartment one evening but, after making love, he violently criticises her way of life.

Deeply shaken, she goes to bed in her apartment alone and rings Gauthier, who comes round and tries to reassure her, revealing that his wife is in and out of psychiatric care.

Théraneau decides to campaign for the socialist nomination in the upcoming elections for the presidency of the republic and makes Alice his speechwriter.

Three years later, Alice revisits Lyon from her job in England and meets up with Théraneau, who has retired from public duties.