Max, an old gangster, and his buddy Riton have got away with 50-million francs in gold bars, who think they ought to retire now. But Riton's girl-friend is tired of him, and has a new protector, Angelo, who is the boss of a rival gang. Through her, Angelo learns about his rival's "grisbi" (loot) and plots to get it. So he kidnaps Max's partner. Max asks some of his friends for help but then gets the message he can exchange the money for his partner.