In 1899, Celeste, a can-can dancer in a Montmartre cabaret, desperately tries to find the brother and sister from whom she was brutally separated as a child when their father was murdered before their eyes. To pay Leon, the inspector tasked with finding them, she has no choice but to become Paris's first stripper. Arsene, a young automobile engineer from the wealthy neighborhoods, is preparing to take over the reins of his father's factory. Engaged, he cannot bring himself to marry even though he secretly loves men. He then takes the risk of opposing his father and suddenly breaks off his engagement. Rose, a young laundress from the suburbs, deeply in love, is preparing to start a family with her fiance. But her dream is short-lived when he actually leads her to a brothel where she is locked up. Rose manages to escape, but pursued by her pimps, she throws herself into the Marne and finds herself between life and death. None of our three heroes realizes that blood ties connect them.