In Liège, a group of men gathers every day in a café situated near the steel factory which once reigned supreme. They play cards in a warm atmosphere but that hardly masks their quiet desperation. All unemployed, either because they can't find work like Patrick or because they have been made redundant like Robert and Jean-Pierre, they try to forget their lot in the warm atmosphere of the place. One day, Marc, a newcomer, joins them. It soon appears that the man has just been released from prison and even if he is determined to go straight his presence suddenly inspires Robert : why not try criminality ?