Although based on a novel by Georges Simenon, director (and songwriter) Serge Gainsbourg has superimposed several dark emotions and a subtle brutality over the weak plot about a man's trip to Africa and his unfortunate passion for a murderess whose amorality sends the disillusioned fellow back to Europe. Sometimes described as frustrating and self-centered, reactions to this film swing across a broad spectrum of complaints -- not the least might be whether or not Gainsbourg is using a clichéd and stereotypical view of "dark Africa" to convey what he sees in his characters.

(Claude Berri, who usually participates in films by directing them, here returns to the screen as an over-the-hill lothario, much given to quoting Shakespeare, who occasionally goes around naked under his raincoat and exposes himself to strangers, who are usually not interested in his primitive display of genitalia. It also appears that he is unable to sexually satisfy his much younger lover, and he suspects her of having another boyfriend. He earns his living tutoring students (mostly young girls) in English literature. When, in his frustration, he gropes one of the girls in her home during a tutoring session, she protests, her father (who is at home) beats him up, and he is sentenced to a jail term. There, he is teamed up with a slightly loopy murderer. When he gets out of jail, he finds his girlfriend has left for good, and ends his life.)

夏洛特的爸爸斯坦靠摇笔杆写剧本维生。他的妻子在一次车祸中死去，女儿夏洛特从此与他作对。斯坦脑里的写作灵感越来越少，甚至不惜抄袭经典作品，生活相当之颓废。他不仅是个酒鬼，还是一个色情狂，不分肥瘦大小的女人都是他的猎艳目标。即若离的夏洛特在读中学，是斯坦唯一的宝贝，也是他命中注定不能摆脱的克星。 在片中甘斯布慷慨地让夏洛特在镜头前展示美丽动人的胴体。父女之间的暧昧与纠缠刻画得令人坐立不安。电影中夏洛特既脆弱也非常性感，她与甘斯布肆无忌惮的不伦亲密从来都神态自若。凭借着这部情色横插，宛若艳曲的电影，甘斯布再次让观众发烧，让道德家们目瞪口呆。——【胖鸟電影】

The petite waitress Johnny works and lives in a truck-stop, where she's lonely and longs for love. She develops a crush on the garbage truck driver Krassky, although her sleazy boss Boris warns her that he's gay.