[3] The film is loosely based on the life story of Jean-Claude Romand (though without the criminal element), and it focuses on one of Cantet's favorite subjects: a man's relationship with his job.

The film tells the story of Vincent, a middle-aged man fired after spending more than 11 years working for a prestigious consulting firm.

In reality, Vincent spends his time aimlessly driving the highways of France and Switzerland, reading newspapers, or sleeping in his car.

To sustain his bourgeois lifestyle, Vincent sets up a Ponzi scheme and is eventually enlisted into smuggling by career thief Jean-Michel.

Murielle, Vincent's wife, after discovering her husband's "life of lies" attempts to bring him back into the realm of reality.