A church in Lisbon. A couple in their forties wanders away from a group of tourists. Suddenly the man collapses. In the mental health service his wife learns that her husband has suffered a psychological shock due to an emotional overload from seeing too much beauty in such a short time span. The shock can reveal a previous psychological trauma, a phenomenon called the Stendhal syndrome. A young psychiatrist (Maria de Medeiros) finds out that the source of his patient's distress has been haunting him for a long time. This man considers himself a victim. But can one be a victim after having been a torturer in the former Eastern Bloc? The man in the crowd takes shape. Co-written by Pascal Bonitzer, France's most prominent screen writer.