Paul, a garage mechanic living in France near the Swiss border, dreams of becoming a pilot and leaving for America. In the meantime, he engages in small-scale smuggling operations with the help of his partner Madeleine and a friend, Mali, who is of Algerian origin. Their contact in Switzerland is a barmaid named Lucie, who draws a young farmer, Jeannot, into the scheme. Jeannot falls for Mali but hesitates to declare his feelings and becomes friends with Paul. After a series of shared escapades, the two men are intercepted by the police while attempting to smuggle gold across the border.