Set in 1789 before the French Revolution, the film begins with the king and the nobles ruling in excess while the people starve. When the ordinary man is on the brink or dies of starvation, the aristocrats view food as a way to kill time. Just the educated gourmets, they themselves, are able to enjoy the food --- as it should be enjoyed. Pierre Manceron (played by Grégory Gadebois) is the master cook of a French aristocrat, the Duke of Chamfort. One night, among a multitude of preordered dishes served, he serves one small creation of his own: baked truffles with sliced potatoes. Fired by his aristocratic master for not apologizing for the act, he is forced to retreat to his father's house, which now has been looted by starving citizens looking for food. His son Benjamin (Lorenzo Lefèbvre) and old friend Jacob (Christian Bouillette) join him. Pierre enters a depression and stops cooking. A woman named Louise (Isabelle Carré) arrives at their doorstep with a proposition. In his sadness, Pierre is not interested in hearing it, but offers her a bed to sleep. She is not interested in the bed until she has spoken to him about her proposal and thus spends the night outside in the rain. Manceron grudgingly takes her on and finds that she is a talented cook. Soon he has an opportunity to win back his position with Chamfort, but his son Benjamin argues that they should innovate with what they have and provide a restaurant service to passers-by irrespective of rank. This results in the welcome discomfiture of the aristocratic former master and the founding of a famous new tradition of hospitality for travelers.