Filmed in the aftermath of the Financial_crisis_of_2007–08, and exploring themes of globalization, class distinctions and Economic_inequality, the film opens in the French seaside town of Dunkirk. France (Karin Viard), a middle-aged divorcée, has just been laid off after 20 years at the same shipping company. She takes an overdose of pills but is rushed to hospital and makes a complete recovery. Desperate for employment to support her three children, she moves to Paris where she connects with Ahmed (Zinedine Soualem), the father of a former co-worker. France pretends to be a low-skilled immigrant to find menial work, but is then offered the chance to be the housekeeper for Stéphane Delarue (Gilles Lellouche), a wealthy French banker who has returned to Paris after 10 years in London.