Daniel Lefebvre is the director of a kindergarten in Hernaing, near Valenciennes, in the north of France. A miner′s son, he is passionate about teaching in a region that was once prosperous but is now plagued by unemployment. Backed by a devoted and highly competent teaching staff, Daniel works with the children to awaken their curiousity and self-expression, and stimulate their creativity. One evening, a mother, Mrs. Henry, is late picking up her daughter, Laetitia. Bending over to kiss her child, she collpases, dead drunk in the schoolyard. Overcome with shame, she flees, leaving Laetitia, and her baby brother stranded in the yard. Daniel fails to get through to social services and he decides, against regulations, to take the two kids home. This incident causes him to rethink his opinions and adopt a more radical approach. He starts to criticise the authorities and members of parliament. Daniel′s actions eventually lead to a major altercation which throws him off course. However, he attracts new allies in spite of all this, and their experiences eventually inspire a stroke of genius.