It also features other well-known French actors including Marie Dubois, Charles Denner and Bernadette Lafont.

In the opening scene, Georges Randal, the thief of the title, breaks into a big house and begins to steal the valuable objects on display.

An orphan, he is raised by his uncle along with his cousin Charlotte, who grows into an attractive young woman with whom he falls in love.

Georges steals the fiance's family jewels and from then on, motivated by a sense of justice and desire for revenge, follows a successful career as a gentleman thief, targeting the haute bourgeoisie.

At the end of the film, he has achieved all his aims: he is married to Charlotte, is living in his uncle's house, and has recovered the money his parents left him, as well as having accumulated a fortune through his crimes.