When he was young, Mathieu Malinski (Jules Benchetrit, Macadam Stories) was trained on the piano by Mr. Jacques (Michel Jonasz, Lebowitz vs Lebowitz), a man aware of the boys potential. The years have passed and Mathieu is becoming a delinquent. One day, at the train station, he starts playing the piano and unravels Pierre Geitner (Lambert Wilson, The Matrix Revolutions) the Director of the National Conservatory of Music. When Mathieu is looking at going to jail, Geitner gets him out of the woods by giving him the chance to participate in prestigious competitions. Despite the disapproval of his superiors, Geitner pushes Mathieu to give his best. The young man must follow the course of the dreaded Countess (Kristin Scott Thomas, Gosford Park) and submit to a discipline of iron.