How to Be a Good Wife

In late 1967, Paulette oversees the start of a new school year at Van der Beck's School of Housekeeping and Good Manners in Alsace. She and her colleagues inspect the incoming women and notice one red-headed applicant, a detail that sparks rumors that the year could be jinxed.

During a dinner prepared by the girls, a rabbit dish is served and Robert chokes on a bone, dying soon afterward. His death exposes the fragile finances of the school and leaves Paulette facing the consequences of his mismanagement.

Paulette and Gilberte sort through Robert's belongings and uncover letters showing the school is on the brink of bankruptcy. They realize the institution's finances are in ruin and fear for its future.

At the bank, Paulette and Gilberte learn that Robert borrowed beyond the school's means. The bank manager, André Grunvald, suggests transferring the school into Paulette's name to secure another loan.

After the meeting, Grunvald calls Paulette and asks to meet him in 15 minutes. She slips away from the school, meeting him outside where he presses for another conversation.

During their talk, Paulette learns that Grunvald and she were lovers before the war. He explains his life since then and reveals that his wartime letters never reached her, hinting at a long-vanished closeness.

Back at the school, a young woman learns she is to marry a man her father’s age. In despair, she attempts suicide by hanging, but the other students intervene just in time to save her.

The suicide scare plunges Paulette into gloom and makes her question the school's mission. She considers cancelling the Paris housekeeping fair, but ultimately decides to take the women there.

Grunvald climbs the piping to reach Paulette’s bedroom and asks to be with her. She agrees only after forcing him to promise to help with cooking and to reveal the details of an apple strudel.

Paulette and Grunvald have sex in her room. Afterwards, Paulette joins the bus with the staff and students as they depart for the Paris trip.

On the bus, they hear a radio report that student riots are shutting down Paris. The mood shifts as the reality of the city’s upheaval becomes imminent.

As they near Paris, the roads are blocked by a massive traffic jam. Paulette refuses to turn back, choosing to disembark and walk toward the city with the young women.

The women begin marching toward Paris, singing and asserting themselves as part of the broader women's liberation movement amid the riots. Their journey becomes a statement against the school’s restrictive ideals.

The group’s actions culminate in a turning point as they join the public demonstrations in Paris, embracing a new path beyond the school’s gatekeeping traditions.