Claude (Guy Bedos) is content with his life. He has a girlfriend Tania (Zorica Lozic) and he aspires to become an actor. When he receives his draft notice, a friend convinces Claude he can get out of military service with his connections in Paris. When the connections fall through, Claude is sent for basic training outside Paris before being shipped off to Algeria. His stops in Morocco and Algeria are uneventful as far as military action goes. He returns home with few bad memories of his army life until he meets a friend wounded in the conflict. Claude Pieplu is the Commandant who tries but can't get Claude out of his military obligations. Georges Geret plays the gruff Sergeant who takes a liking to the pacifistic soldier in this comedy drama.