Antoine thought he had the perfect surprise for his sister Mélanies birthday: a weekend by the sea at Noirmoutier Island, where the pair spent many happy childhood summers playing on the beach. When, on the drive home to Paris, she finally summons the courage to reveal what she knows to Antoine, her emotions overcome her and she loses control of the car. Alone, waiting for news of Mélanie, Antoine reflects on his life: his wife has left him, his teenage children are strangers to him, his job bores him, and his father is an ageing tyrant who still poisons every aspect of his life. How did he end up here?