Philippe Letzger (Philippe Lefebvre (actor)) is the host of ''It's Tissue Time!'', an exploitation television game show where contestants are made to cry. The show's audiences are warmed up by one of Letzger's assistants, Bastien (Guillaume Canet), an ambitious young man who provides Letzger with good ideas for the show, for which his boss eagerly takes credit. Bastien tolerates Letzger's antics in order to work with Jean-Louis Broustal (François Berléand), the show's sophisticated producer whom he admires. Bastien's girlfriend, Fabienne (Clotilde Courau), is frustrated by his worship of the suave producer. Bastien is equally frustrated when he finds out that the blonde he is attracted to at the office is in fact Broustal's young wife, Clara (Diane Kruger).