During the 1950s, in Portuguese Mozambique, small-time American hustler, ex-soldier, ex-boxer and adventurer Johnny Jordan is looking for a new gig. His opportunity comes in the form of a local shipping tycoon and importer Moreno who offers Johnny a job after Johnny saves Moreno from an armed mugger on the waterfront.
Julien Couturier (Bernard Blier) and his wife Louise (Blanchette Brunoy), a young couple from Auvergne who have come to Paris to try their luck for the first time in their lives, become the owners of the "Café du Cadran" ("Clockface Cafe"). On opening day, they meet the people who will become their clientele. It's a busy place, with regular customers served by two waiters, Jules (Robert Le Fort) and Victor (Charles Vissières). While Julien is comfortable in his role as boss, Louise doesn't quite get used to this urban world, where everything moves faster, especially human feelings. She often misses Marcenait, the village in Auvergne where she and her husband ran the "Café du Commerce". Mr. Luigi (Aimé Clariond), a café customer and violinist who performs at the "Café de Paris", has undertaken Louise's cultural education. He teaches her how to dress and do her hair, while recounting his musical successes and travels, skilfully playing on his undeniable seductiveness...
As a favor to his grandmother, singer Rudy Hirigoyen agrees to sing incognito, under the name Romano, in the nightclub his cousin Gustave has just opened in a small seaside resort. The staff and musicians are students camping out in the pine forest near "L'Auberge Fleurie". Grandma has rented the apartment above the club to summer guests: Commandant Portafaux and his wife.
