Émilie (Audrey Tautou), co-owner of a hair salon, receives an anonymous love letter from her worker Jean (Sami Bouajila) who, unknown to Émilie, is highly educated but took up the handy-man job in the salon after a depression. Émilie doesn't fall for the love letter but passes it on to her mother Maddy (Nathalie Baye) who is depressed since the breakup of her marriage. Maddy falls for the love letter and is in high spirits again. Jean's high education as a translator in several Asian and European languages is uncovered in a verbal fight in Chinese with two women. Émilie is now fearing criticism from Jean as her education is no match to his.