A young girl farmhand falls pregnant. She hides her condition from her master, gives birth in secret and entrusts the baby to friends. Henceforth, she will have to work very hard to support her secret son. Her master, far from increasing her pay, forces her to marry him.

Wishing to sparkle for the space of an evening out, the wife of a modest ministry worker borrows a diamond necklace from a friend. But, on the way home, she loses it. The couple decides not to say anything and break the bank to buy an identical jewel.

The clerk Cachelin has pushed his daughter, sole heiress of a wealthy aunt, to marry one of his ministry colleagues. The money will only come to the young woman if a child is born within three years. Given the urgency, Cachelin pushes his daughter into the arms of another colleague.

During the German occupation of 1870, two friends, nostalgic for their pre-war fishing outings, manage to avoid the blockades to go fishing. But they are discovered by the Prussians, who accuse them of spying.

The young farmer Césaire weds Céleste against the wishes of his father, Amable. All winter, Césaire works like a Trojan to support his homestead. He eventually dies, leaving his father Amable and Céleste alone together.

Hautot senior is gravely injured while out hunting. With his dying breath, he reveals to his son that he has had a secret relationship with a young seamstress for several years and asks him to watch over her.

An artist shows his friends a painting from his youth which plunges him back into the past. A chance encounter led him to meet an English spinster called Miss Harriet. The lady was initially very unapproachable but slowly let down her defences in the company of the young painter.

An innkeeper with an excessive taste for food and wine suffers from a seizure that leaves him bed-ridden. His wife, seeing him become useless, forces him to incubate eggs in front of all his friends.