Le départ

A tormented jazz musician finds himself lost in an enigmatic story involving murder, surveillance, gangsters, doppelgängers, and an impossible transformation inside a prison cell.

After moving to a new town, troublemaking teen Jim Stark is supposed to have a clean slate, although being the new kid in town brings its own problems. While searching for some stability, Stark forms a bond with a disturbed classmate, Plato, and falls for local girl Judy. However, Judy is the girlfriend of neighborhood tough, Buzz. When Buzz violently confronts Jim and challenges him to a drag race, the new kid's real troubles begin.

An introverted insurance executive at a car rental service is annoyed by his hyperactive, garrulous coworker, but the two end up becoming friends.

A car salesman journeys to France and encounters an apparently lonely woman. He immediately begins to successfully woo her only to learn that she is actually a baron's wife. Fortunately, the baron believes in open marriages and winds up hiring the Englishman to teach his son (from an earlier marriage) everything about automobiles. Meanwhile the car salesman finds himself falling seriously in love with the wife. The baron really doesn't mind as he himself is involved with another.

A not so clever guy called Bertie with a Opel Manta (a low budget European sports-coupe from the '80s) gets competition in a street race from a guy with a fast Mercedes, and another slick guy with a Ferrari tries to get his hands on Bertie's girlfriend.

Life is tough on car fanatic Fred. As soon as he has convinced the beautiful hairdresser Tina, he wins an Opel Manta in a raffle and is rid of the lady immediately. From now on, Tina prefers to turn to the photographer Phil. He has what Fred always wanted: a Golf GTI. To make matters worse, he now has to listen to the mocking remarks of his fellow men at every traffic light. But Fred doesn't give up. He finally finds support in the Manta Club. In a big race he finally wants to put his rival GTI-Phil in his place.

Three lives of three young people intersect over the course of one summer. A rich student and a young working-class man accidentally destroy a diner when their impromptu road race takes a disastrous turn. Ordered by a judge to spend the summer repairing the building, they find themselves becoming rivals for the affections of the owner's daughter.

Dealing with his customers with open heart, a car mechanic named Života goes through many adventures. Some are funny, some are sad, some reveal beauty and other human misery. In the end he gets tangled up himself, and not without bitterness he tries to change his ways, to become like his rival across the street which has adapted to modern times: strictly business. But, people who come to him need him just the way he is.

In a Russian coastal town, Kolya is forced to fight the corrupt mayor when he is told that his house will be demolished. He recruits a lawyer friend to help, but the man's arrival brings further misfortune for Kolya and his family.

A rich young society girl falls in love with a car mechanic. Her family is appalled and stops her seeing him. The girl attempts to commit suicide and then decides to elope.

François Toledo, married businessman and father, falls head-over-heels in love with Janine, a work colleague. However, he is soon found out: after three dates, he strangles some prostitutes, when, the victim of blackmail, he becomes dishonored. He is taken to court, and sentenced to be killed by a guillotine.