One is a traditional wealthy family in a comfortable apartment, whose lives are devoted to making money and meaningless socialising.

As few French people want such work, the jobs are taken by Spanish women, eager to escape the poverty and oppression of Francoist Spain, who bring with them their native solidarity and human warmth.

The family's French maid leaves after a dispute, so Suzanne goes to a church where the priest finds jobs for Spanish immigrants.

There she hires María, young and pretty, who speaks French and is the niece of Concepción, the maid for another family in the same building.

The apartment is a mess after days without a maid and Concepción gets some of her Spanish friends to rally round and clean it up, to the surprise and delight of Suzanne.

His wife Suzanne begins to worry, not about the maids who are mostly not young or beautiful and in any case are servants, but about a rich client of his called Bettina de Brossolettes who is a notorious maneater.

Meanwhile Jean-Louis has found a new post for one of the Spanish women who was being abused by her husband; out of gratitude she invites him and all the other Spaniards to a paella party.

María immediately tells Suzanne she is leaving to return to Spain and, going upstairs in an emotional state, lets Jean-Louis take her into his room and kiss her.

When he drives there, Maria is exiting her home with a basket of laundry and the neighbor women ask her about her daughter, she responds that she's feeling better.

Two of the Spanish actresses, Berta Ojea and Concha Galán, did not speak French before the film and learned their roles phonetically.