Cherbourg, 1957. Geneviève Emery, whose mother sells umbrellas at her at a tiny boutique, loves Guy Foucher, a young mechanic who lives with his sickly aunt. When Guy leaves to become a soldier in the Algerian war, Geneviève finds out to be pregnant and decides to marry the wealthy Roland Cassard. Demy tells about an impossible love story which takes place in a port city whose colours remind of those of the American musicals. A melancholic film, which was awarded with the Palme d'Or at the 1964 Cannes Film Festival, Demy's most successful work.