By a little bay near Marseilles lies a picturesque villa owned by an old man. His three children have gathered by his side for his last days: Angele, an actress living in Paris, Joseph, who has just fallen in love with a girl half his age and Armand, the only one who stayed behind in Marseille to run the family's small restaurant. It's time for them to weigh up what they have inherited of their father's ideals and the community spirit he created in this magical place. The arrival, at a nearby cove, of a group of boat people will throw these moments of reflection into turmoil.