In a run-down 1960s housing development, Thomas, a 12-year-old boy, becomes obsessed with the broadcast world news. He is encouraged in this escapism by Plagge, a postman who spies on the locals by reading their mail.
Abel is a 31-year-old agoraphobic who still lives with his parents. Finally kicked to the streets by his father, Abel finds a new home with a kind-hearted stripper.
Vogel, an important trafficker, betrays two of his accomplices, Castro and Smith. Fifteen years later, Smith comes back for revenge but Vogel sends his henchmen to kill him.
On the eve of a crucial election in Central America, an informer working for police officer Miguel Mora is murdered by the men of Maurice Leprince (Jean Servais), a candidate for the presidency.