Based on the 1913 novel by Flemish author Willem Elsschot, the film is a romantic tragedy that takes place in a decrepit Parisian boarding house. The owners, an oddball English couple (Walter and West), watch over their international (and very eccentric guests) with a paternal air.
When Louise (Delpy) arrives to become the Villa des Roses' new maid, she upsets the house's hierarchy by falling in love with the handsome young artist, GrÜnewald (Dingwall), a "sort-of gentleman" who lives upstairs.