Lovers of Paris

A young provincial, Octave Mouret, arrives in Paris during the Second French Empire. Madame Josserand, a society woman who thinks of little other than marrying off her daughter Berthe, sets her sights on him. But Octave has already turned his attention to the married Madame Hédouin, who runs a large department store, "Au Bonheur des Dames", where he is hired as a salesman. She is beautiful, but remains distant despite Octave's efforts to be noticed. Upset, Madame Josserand forces Berthe, against her will, to marry Auguste Vabre, a shopkeeper with little money. Berthe soon becomes Octave's mistress, and Octave applies his commercial talents to straightening out Auguste's finances. Madame Hédouin, now widowed, then realizes the business and romantic possibilities with her handsome young salesman.