The Unfaithful Wife

Charles Desvallées lives with his wife Hélène and their young son in a beautiful house in the countryside near Paris. Their routine seems peaceful, but Charles begins to notice small inconsistencies in his wife's schedule. He grows uneasy as he wonders where she spends her time.

Hélène frequently travels to Paris under the pretense of hairdressers, shopping, beauty treatments, and cinema sessions. Charles observes these absences and grows suspicious. The distance between the couple widens as her trips continue.

Concerned about infidelity, Charles hires a private investigator to shadow his wife. The investigation yields routine sightings and discrepancies, reinforcing his suspicions. He seeks hard evidence to guide his next actions.

The private investigator reports that Hélène regularly sees the writer Victor Pégala at his home in Neuilly-sur-Seine. Charles's suspicions are confirmed and deepen into certainty. Neuilly-sur-Seine becomes the anchor of the affair in his mind.

On his son's birthday, Charles visits Pégala and begins in a seemingly jovial mood, discussing an open marriage. He asks for a tour of the flat and notices a giant cigarette lighter at the bedside, a gift from him to Hélène. His demeanor shifts from cordial to disturbed as the encounter unsettles him.

During the visit, Charles attacks Pégala with two violent blows to the head, killing him. He immediately cleans up the scene, removing fingerprints and any trace that could link him to the crime. The murder marks the turning point from suspicion to deadly action.

Charles takes Pégala's body in his car and disposes of it in a pond, attempting to erase the crime by hiding the evidence. He is meticulous about cleanup to avoid arousing suspicion in the days that follow. The disappearance of Pégala becomes the central mystery the detectives pursue.

In the days after the disappearance, two detectives come to question Hélène about Pégala. She pretends that they were merely distant acquaintances and tries to maintain a calm, composed facade. The investigation gradually closes in on the couple.

Hélène's name is found in Pégala's address book, contradicting her claim of distant acquaintance. She maintains she hardly knew him and protests that any connection was incidental. The detectives press her for details as the case tightens.

Hélène discovers a photograph of Pégala in Charles's jacket pocket and burns it. She then joins her family in the garden, looking tenderly at Charles and seemingly rekindling trust. The moment introduces a fragile, uneasy quiet before the storm.

The detectives return and press the couple again. Charles tells Hélène that he loves her and goes to speak with the men, adding a tense note to the confrontation. The air is thick with unspoken secrets as the truth edges closer to breaking.

In the final shot, seen from Charles's point of view, the camera pulls back from Hélène and their son and zooms in on them. The sequence implies that Charles has surrendered to the police for the murder. The moral weight lingers as the fate of the family hangs in balance.