In the shadowy port of Le Havre, Jean (Jean Gabin), an army deserter on the run, takes shelter in Panama’s bar, an isolated shack on the water’s edge. In this hideout of drifters and down-and-outs, Jean encounters world-weary artist Michel Krauss (Robert Le Vigan) who discourses on life, suicide and the hidden meanings of art. Then in walks Nelly (Michèle Morgan) - exuding mysterious allure in her transparent raincoat and beret (costumes by Coco Chanel). For Jean it’s love at first sight, and Nelly is smitten too, but she also has to deal with the perverted jealousy of her guardian (Michel Simon) and the lecherous attentions of Lucien (Pierre Brasseur), a petty gangster who is investigating the disappearance of one of his gang-members, Nelly’s former lover.