Pierre is a Vietnam war veteran, psychologically scarred after killing a child. Cybele is a 12 year-old girl, abandoned by an uncaring father at a small orphanage. After a chance meeting causes Pierre to be mistaken for Cybele’s father, they begin a series of Sunday outings together in which they discover a trusting, innocent happiness – though their make-believe world is threatened when a neighbour spots them together and word spreads among Pierre’s acquaintances about his illicit relationship.