Sundays and Cybele

Pierre, a pilot, is shot down in the French Indochina War. The crash may have killed a young Vietnamese girl, weighing on him as he recovers. He returns to Paris physically healed but mentally adrift, suffering from amnesia and vertigo.

Pierre settles in an apartment with Madeleine, one of his nurses during recuperation. She longs for a romance with him, but his childlike state and memory gaps complicate their relationship. She becomes both caregiver and confidante in a fragile equilibrium.

He spends time with Carlos, Madeleine's friend, helping the artist with his projects. Through these interactions, Pierre's gentle nature shows itself, yet his behavior remains unpredictable. Carlos acts as a stabilizing presence in Pierre's life.

One evening, a man asks Pierre for directions to St. Marguerite's boarding school, hinting at a daughter he intends to bring there. The encounter plants the seed of the future visit with the girl. Pierre's curiosity is piqued without fully understanding the implications.

The following Sunday, Pierre visits the school, posing as the girl's father to the nuns. He spends time with the girl in the park, learning her nickname Françoise and the origin of her real name hidden by the nuns. She asks for a metal rooster from a church spire to reveal her real name, and Pierre promises to obtain it.

Pierre and the girl begin spending Sundays in the park, with Pierre now living with Madeleine in Paris. The girl, who calls him 'dad', confesses her plan to marry him when she turns 18. Pierre grows jealous of her attention to other children, straining his self-control.

Madeleine works on Sundays, and Pierre does not tell her about his burgeoning relationship with Cybèle. Locals notice the odd pairing, and during a midday at a fair, Pierre becomes overstimulated and starts a fight.

Before Christmas, neighbors disclose Pierre's Sunday outings to Madeleine, deepening her worry. She starts to suspect that Cybèle may be in danger and that Pierre's behavior could end badly.

Carlos reassures Madeleine that Pierre is not a danger, but Madeleine decides to follow Pierre on his next outing. Bernard, a doctor and friend of Madeleine, arrives to keep her company and brings a sense of urgency.

On Christmas evening, Pierre breaks into Carlos's apartment to steal a Christmas tree for a celebration with the girl. They meet at a broken-down shed in the park, where the girl presents him with her real name: Cybèle.

Pierre goes to the church steeple to obtain the metal rooster; up on the steeple, his vertigo disappears. The girl shares her real name with him, cementing their bond in a fragile moment of trust.

Madeleine calls Bernard who alerts the nuns and the police to Cybèle's safety concerns. The police find Pierre and Cybèle at the shed; Pierre is dead, holding a dagger and the broken rooster. Cybèle cries out in anguish as she loses her guardian and friend.