Les parapluies de Cherbourg
=== Part One: The Departure (November, 1957) ===
Madame Emery and her beautiful 17-year-old daughter Geneviève (Deneuve) have a tiny and struggling umbrella boutique in the coastal town of Cherbourg in Normandy, France. Guy (Castelnuovo) is a handsome young auto mechanic who lives with and cares for his sickly aunt and godmother Elise. Though Geneviève's mother disapproves, Guy and Geneviève are deeply in love; they plan to marry and name their first child "Françoise". At the same time Madeleine (Ellen Farner), a quiet young woman who looks after Guy's aunt, is secretly in love with Guy.
Guy is drafted to serve in the Algerian War. The night before he leaves, he and Geneviève pledge their undying love and have sex, perhaps for the first time.
=== Part Two: The Absence (January, 1958) ===
Geneviève learns she is pregnant and writes to Guy, but his replies are sporadic. Her mother tells her to give up on Guy – he has forgotten her. Geneviève is courted by Roland Cassard (Marc Michel), a kind, young, and very wealthy Parisian jeweler; he wants to marry her despite her pregnancy. (In one of the connections among Demy's trilogy of films, Roland had previously unsuccessfully wooed the title character in the earlier Lola (1961); now he relates a version of this story to Madame Emery.) Madame Emery urges Geneviève to be sensible and choose a secure future with Roland. Geneviève marries Roland in a great cathedral, but she appears ambivalent about her decision.
=== Part Three: The Return (December, 1963) ===
Returning from the war, Guy learns that Geneviève has married and left Cherbourg. He has difficulty readjusting to civilian life. After an argument with his boss he quits his job, goes drinking in a seedy bar, and spends the night with a prostitute. When he returns to his apartment, Madeleine tells him that his aunt Elise has died.
Guy sees that Madeleine loves him, and he rebuilds his life with her help. Using the inheritance from his aunt he opens a new "American-style" gas station. Madeleine agrees to marry him, though she wonders whether he is merely on the rebound after losing Geneviève.
On a snowy Christmas Eve, Guy and Madeleine are in the office of their gas station with their small son, François. Madeleine is decorating a Christmas tree; we see this is a loving and happy family. As Madeleine and François leave to visit Santa Claus, an expensive car pulls in. The mink-clad driver is Geneviève, now wealthy and sophisticated. She has a young girl with her. As Guy rounds the car to her window their eyes meet and there is a moment of awkwardness.
Geneviève gets out and Guy invites her into the warmth of the station's office. They chat as a boy attends to Geneviève's car. This is Geneviève's first time in Cherbourg since her marriage, she says. Her mother died recently. Looking outside at the girl in the car, Guy asks, "What did you name her?" Geneviève answers: "Françoise. She's a lot like you. Do you want to see her?" Guy shakes his head.
The car is ready. At the door Geneviève pauses: "Are you all right?" Guy says all is well with him. Geneviève opens the door and pulls her collar tight against the cold before looking back at Guy one last time. She walks to her car, gets in and drives off. Madeleine returns with François; Guy greets her with a kiss. As the camera pulls back he frolics with his son in the snow, then picks him up and follows Madeline inside.
cult, romantic