Stolen Kisses

Antoine is discharged as unfit because he prefers reading novels and writing to Christine than obeying orders. He has written voluminously to Christine while in the service, sometimes more than once a day, but she never writes back. He begins to reassemble his life and starts looking for a job.

Christine is away skiing with friends when Antoine arrives at her house and is warmly hosted by her parents. They learn he needs a job, and they help him land a position as a night clerk at the Hôtel Alsina. He is eager to start this new life.

Antoine is hired as a night clerk at Hôtel Alsina and spends much time reading between customers. Christine visits him there, and after years apart they seem to rekindle their connection. The reminder of their feelings stirs hope for a future together.

One morning, a man with a private detective shows Antoine a room where a woman has checked in. The woman is the man's wife, sharing a bed with someone else, and the husband trash talks the room in a fit of rage. Antoine is blamed for the uproar and loses his job at the hotel.

The detective befriends Antoine and hires him at the agency, giving him a chance to learn the tricks of the trade. He begins training under his mentor and starts a new line of work far from the hotel. This marks the start of Antoine's career in undercover work.

While shadowing a target, Antoine unexpectedly runs into Colette, the object of his younger infatuation who is now married with a child. The encounter complicates his current assignment and stirs mixed feelings. He struggles to balance professional duties with personal longing.

Georges Tabard, owner of a shoe store, visits the agency asking why no one seems to like him. Antoine poses as a stock boy to solve the mystery, taking on a disguise to fit into the world of retail. He becomes entangled with Fabienne, Georges's wife, who seduces him.

Antoine falls for Fabienne, and the romance competes with his lingering feelings for Christine. He breaks up with Christine, telling her he has never admired her. The agency suspects Fabienne is cheating, forcing him to confess, and he is fired the same day his detective mentor dies.

Antoine shifts to a job as a TV repairman, trying to keep his life low-key. His poor driving sends a van crashing into Christine's dad's car, though no one is harmed. Christine's dad forgives him, and later discusses the situation with his daughter.

Christine deliberately disables her TV and calls the repair service to get Antoine to visit. He struggles for hours to fix a TV that is only missing a tube, giving her a chance to reconnect. After this flawed repair, they reconcile, have sex, and next morning Antoine proposes.

Now engaged, Antoine and Christine stroll in a park when a man who has followed Christine for days declares his love, calling it permanent. Christine finds the claim insane, while Antoine recognizes a mirror of his own patterns and mutters, 'He must be.'