Hal Raymond, a young tyro filmmaker fresh from graduate school, arrives in France to attend the Cannes Film Festival, where he hopes to sell a movie he has made about the life and times of famed murderer Gary Gilmore. Unbeknownst to him, he has failed to observe the proper bureaucratic procedures when bringing his film reels into the country, which forces customs officials at Nice Airport to seize them until further notice. In another queue at the airport is Maria Barone, a glamorous former actress and the wife of leading Italian film producer Freddie Barone. Maria's dog Mortimer is also retained at customs, after she is found to have concealed the animal in her hand luggage.
The following day, Hal returns to the airport to attend an interview at the customs agency with Lt. Montand, who tells him that the reels will not be released until the film censor has viewed them, which may not happen for another month. Leaving the office in a fury, Hal bumps into Maria, who has just been reunited with her dog. Informing her of his plight, she encourages him to persevere. The following day, Hal again encounters Maria in the lobby of the Hotel Carlton and invites her to lunch. Charmed by the young man's attention, Maria reckons that she can persuade her husband to contact the customs authorities and intervene on Hal's behalf. She then takes Hal to meet Freddie, who graciously agrees to phone the airport immediately.
In gratitude, Hal invites them both to a party in Nice being hosted by his friend, Andrew Jackson – a sardonic director-producer, in town to publicize his own blaxploitation film. Although a visibly flustered Maria declines the invitation, when the party is in full swing later that evening she suddenly turns up unannounced. Hal and Maria dance and talk, later going back to Hal's room at the local Novotel to make love. Lying in bed afterwards, Maria admits that this is the first time she has cheated on her spouse. Unimpressed by Hal's spartan accommodation, back in Cannes the next day she arranges to meet him at the Palm Beach casino, where she wins big at craps – enough money for her to book Hal into a fancy boutique hotel further along the coast. As they are entering the hotel Hal spies Montand sitting at a nearby restaurant, who delivers the good news that the censor will now view his film.
Hal and Maria then enjoy a blissful day out in the country, at the end of which he complains about not being able to spend an entire night with her. Although distressed at having to deceive her husband, Maria asks Freddie if she can spend two days away in Paris prior to his film's gala premiere – a request to which the latter agrees without complaint. Hal, meanwhile, having already found that Jackson has muscled in on his film and taken control of its publicity campaign – including changing the title from the bland Choice of Ending to the more lurid Shoot Me Before I Kill Again – now has to endure the censor's screening before he and Maria can meet for their planned few days together. After nervously introducing it to a seemingly nonplussed audience, Hal finds his film has inspired positive reactions – Jackson pronounces it "sensational", while Montand agrees that the film can finally be brought into the country. But Maria, who is also in attendance, is much less enthusiastic about what she has seen, and upon being forced to reveal her true feelings afterwards she and Hal have a row, causing him to abandon her and hitchhike alone back to Cannes.
Hal is overcome with remorse by the next morning and returns to the Carlton, where he is able to follow Maria's limousine as it heads to the Barone family yacht for an outing prior to Freddie's evening gala premiere. Pursuing her onto a speedboat, Hal manages to separate Maria from her companions and drives the boat out into the middle of the bay, where it runs out of fuel. In an effort to prove his love, he throws his precious film reels into the water. Maria is unimpressed, however, pointing out that he still has the original 16mm negative, so the gesture means nothing. Only after Hal begrudgingly proclaims out loud that he loves her more than his film are the two reconciled. Eventually whisked away to attend the gala premiere by her security detail, Maria leaves Hal to make his own way back to the shore. Realizing that Maria is set to leave the festival for good after the premiere is over, once on land Hal persuades Jackson to drive him to the airport. There he stops Maria and Freddie before they board their private jet. Maria explains that, although she loves him, she needs someone who considers her "more important than anything". After the jet has taken off into the night sky, Jackson improves Hal's mood by informing him that his film has been included in a package deal, and hands him a contract to sign.
