Brest, 1950. The city is in midst of post-war re-construction. Workers are on strike calling in vain for higher wages. P’tit Zef, Edouard, Désiré and Paulette are four friends, all factory workers. Like everyone else in Brest, they take part in the demonstrations organized by labor union when the situation suddenly becomes quite violent. The police shoot into the crowd and a bullet hits Edouard smack in the forehead. The labor union calls upon the filmmaker René Vautier to film the events. P’titZef and Désiré accompany Vautier throught the devastated city. Having at his side a man whose only weapon is a camera, P’tit Zef is consumed with anger. He wants revenge for the death of his friend.