She departs with a champagne maker (Jean Desailly) and he ponders settling down with an inn owner (Blanchette Brunoy), until one day fresh funds arrive.

At Deauville, he strikes lucky by taking not only a million off a Middle Eastern billionaire at baccarat but also lifting his mistress Perle, a brittle old flame.

The vessel is lying at Rotterdam, so Jérôme heads there with Perle and the two then set course by inland waterways for Monte Carlo, his next field of operations.

They have no food either, so eventually Perle walks in desperation all the way to a smart restaurant, where she is picked up by Maurice, heir to a famous winemaking firm.

At an isolated little inn near the lock, Jérôme has been telephoning repeatedly to get his two million and has caught the eye of the owner, a sweet widow called Maria.