Jacques Damien, recently moved into a new apartment, wrestles with emotional disturbance after a painful rupture with Juliette Lancy. He confides in his friend Gautier Brune; their calm friendship frames scenes of domestic detail and measured conversation. The narrative follows his inner unrest, social interactions, and attempts to reestablish normalcy, exploring themes of suffering, moral impurity, desire, and self-examination through intimate scenes, memory, and psychological observation.