Paul Daedalus is a 40-year-old anthropologist, who is back to France after a long absence. Due to this return, Paul recalls moments from his childhood and youth, and moments spent with his family as well, in Roubaix. Among so many memories, Paul recalls the time he traveled to the former USSR and helped a Jewish young man flee the country; and a romance that left a mark on his past. The film is a journey through the protagonist's memories, in sync with the constant meaningful changes in contemporary history. The protagonist is retrieved from another film by Desplechin, Comment je me suis disputé... (ma vie sexuelle), from 1996, that this movie is a prequel to.