Anne Desbarèdes is a young woman who is married to a wealthy businessman and lives a monotonous existence in the small commune town of Blaye.

After indirectly witnessing a murder in a café, she returns to the scene of the crime the next day and meets Chauvin, who informs her in more detail about the events that took place.

Peter Brook secured the film rights and wanted to offer the lead role to Jeanne Moreau, whom he had directed in a Paris production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

[1] However, Brook's only other film, The Beggar's Opera, had been a box-office flop and he found difficulty raising money.

According to a newspaper report, "after almost a year of financial, artistic and emotional blackmail and diplomacy, Raoul Levy undertook to produce the film for love.

Brook admitted that this was "very unusual" but insisted that the film needed "assured and delicate" handling to succeed.

The male lead role was awarded to Richard Burton, who was to play the part speaking French.

He later claimed that this was because "French unions objected at the last minute to a British actor appearing in an all-French production, even though England's Peter Brook was the director.