Set in France in 1980, a middle-aged ex-con, former butcher tries to salvage a life that has long been on the skids. Plagued by racist, misogynist thoughts and a hair-trigger temper, he looks for a job, tries to borrow money, and attempts to retrieve his daughter from an institution. If you saw this man walking toward you, you'd probably cross the street. Director Gaspar Noe decides, instead, to take a walk inside his brain.