Romain Esnard is young and has his whole life ahead of him. His father Michel is an old-school postal worker and is just retiring. His beloved grandmother Madeleine recently had to go to a retirement home and his grandfather has just died. Actually, Romain is interested in literature and maybe he wants to write a book, but the normal family stories keep him in suspense. Grandma Madeleine finds the retirement home so horrible that she suddenly runs away and disappears without a trace. The Esnard family, or rather what is left of it, gets into even greater turmoil. Father Michel, already dismayed about his own exit from life, throws one tantrum after another. And Romain's mother declares that she wants a divorce. One day, Romain finds a postcard in his mailbox. And the next day another little hint at where to look for Madeleine. Romain makes his way to the north coast of France and encounters not only an unexpected gas station oracle that provides information about the great love, but also memories of the first and late things in life.