[1] Amesan, a Kabyle jeweler, arrives at a secluded French cove and witnesses a young woman skinny dipping.
A family – parents Robert and Marianne, children Felix and Zoe and pet dog Elvis – settle on the beach and find the woman's abandoned clothes.
After he calls the police, others arrive: science fiction writer Henry Lascaride and couple Oliver and Florence.
All subsequent attempts to phone outside help are met with an "invalid number" message, and Amesan claims that an unknown power has prevented him from leaving the beach.
Meanwhile, the others determine that the beach is aging them at a rate of a year every half-hour, and that some force induces unconsciousness in those who attempt to escape; Henry speculates that the young woman drowned after losing consciousness at this barrier.
As the group throws a final picnic, they suddenly hear gunshots being fired at José – the son of the local hotelier – who is running in their direction.