The film's screenplay by Ozon is loosely based on Juan Mayorga's play El chico de la última fila (The Boy in the Last Row).

[4] Germain, a middle-aged literature teacher, bonds with his 16-year-old student, Claude Garcia, while tutoring him to improve his writing skills.

This leads the precocious and disdainful student to be increasingly transgressive and antisocial, demonstrating a flair for manipulating relationship dynamics and for finding ways to satisfy his needs.

He inadvertently causes the teacher to be dismissed but they remain in touch due to their mutual passion in finding stories that excite them.

François Ozon adapted the screenplay from Spanish writer Juan Mayorga's play The Boy in the Last Row.