Cayeux, a small seaside town with a huge pebble beach. In winter, it's as deserted as the moon. In summer, however, a crowd of holidaymakers and regulars frequents the beach and its colourful huts, lending a much more festive air to the place. At one end of the beach, a pebble processing plant where Marie works. She's a pretty young woman. Her boyfriend, Paul, works at the grocer's in winter and as a lifeguard in summer. Worried about his mother, Rose, who fritters away her money in slot machines, Paul doesn't understand Marie's dreamy temperament and stifles her with his clumsy love. Marie senses a growing unease. The holidaymakers that she sees over the seasons remind her that her youthful dreams lie elsewhere. She wants to leave… Albert, a young executive at the plant, has just been sacked. With his fancy sports car, he seems like a genuine Prince Charming.