Benjamin Barois begins his medical internship in the department run by his father, Dr. Barois. Eager and idealistic, he quickly enters the tough, unseen layer of hospital life and is soon drawn into a tense dynamic with Abdel Rezzak, a fellow intern from Algeria. The pair soon confront a hard truth: the night shift exposes limits, missteps, and the fragile line between hope and tragedy.
During a late shift, Benjamin visits the homeless patient Monsieur Lemoine, who is suffering abdominal pains. He tries to offer comfort and prescribes analgesics, but a malfunctioning device prevents him from performing an ECG. The next morning, word spreads that the patient has died, leaving Benjamin unsettled and anxious about what could have been done differently. He is summoned by the experienced physician to review the case; under pressure, he admits he could not perform the ECG, and is told to claim he did it if questioned. This moment strains his budding friendship with Abdel, especially since he told Monsieur Lemoine's widow that Abdel had handled the care.
As the two interns juggle duties, they also treat Madame Richard(/actor/jeanne-cellard), an elderly, formerly athletic woman now battling metastatic cancer after recent surgery. The team debates her treatment and comfort—while Abdel pushes forward with a morphine pump to ease her pain, concerns grow about her appetite and overall viability. Dr. Denormandy weighs in, and a difficult choice emerges: Abdel agrees, albeit reluctantly, to remove the morphine support in a bid to balance relief with risk.
Late one night, Madame Richard loses consciousness, and the resuscitation efforts begin in earnest. When her family arrives, the interns discuss the possibility of ending her life under the Leonetti law, a debate that the family ultimately accepts. The decision triggers disciplinary action: a hearing with the senior medical staff, including the doctor and the department chief. The outcome favors Benjamin—no punishment due to age and emotional strain—while Abdel receives a formal misconduct notice that could jeopardize his chances of completing his internship and validating his Algerian qualifications.
The weight of the events drives a rift, but Benjamin, who has grown close to Abdel, feels responsible for the ordeal. After a night of drinking, he returns to the hospital and, confessing failures in care, disrupts wards and equipment before fleeing. He is later hit by a truck as he leaves the hospital grounds. The morning after, news arrives: Madame Lemoine is suing the hospital for malpractice, and the staff rally against the director while seeking Abdel’s sanction to be lifted—the effort succeeds.
In the aftermath, Benjamin recovers and learns that Abdel will be able to continue practicing. The two men reconcile, and [Abdel] moves to a different service—in this case, neurology—regaining his initial passion and determination to pursue his medical career in France. The experience leaves them with a sharper sense of duty, the fragility of life, and a renewed commitment to patient care, even in the face of systemic strain.
