Paris, 1928. A young painter in vogue, Antoine Balestro, has been unable to paint since his wife died, to the despair of his gallery owner, Armand. One drunken evening, Antoine tries to contact his wife through a psychic, but is actually speaking with Suzanne, a humble carnival worker who has sneaked in to steal food. Suzanne proves to be a gifted fraudster and, soon aided by Armand, stages fake séances. Little by little, Antoine regains his inspiration, but the situation grows increasingly complicated as Suzanne falls in love with the man she is manipulating.