12-year old Armand-Pierre embraces the French Revolution and leaves his mother to enlist in the army.

Bernard Noblet is a modest bank clerk with a passion for billiards. His fiancée Juliette, a schoolteacher, dreams of one day living the high life, and his best friend Roger, a little-known inventor, is equally despairing. After careful consideration, a solution emerges: a cleverly organized hold-up will enable them to live in luxury for the rest of their lives. Bernard soon makes the acquaintance of Bettina and her mother, Madame Ralton, professionals in the "heist" business.

From the first paying public screening on December 28, 1895, at the Grand Café in Paris, to the present day, this film tells the story of movie theaters over a century of existence. Accompanied by a commentary, a skilful montage of archive footage, some of it previously unseen, traces this evolution - from the golden age of the Gaumont-Palace and the Grand-Rex to the era of multi-screen complexes - illuminated by memories and testimonials from exhibitors, architects and cinema professionals.