Jules is upset. The minister of transportation ignores his letters, so, on the day the minister is in Lyons to reopen a rail line, Jules heads to the train station to speak to the minister directly. He takes a pistol in case he needs to demand the minister's undivided attention. When a bodyguard won't let him close, Jules steps onto a one-car train and rashly takes its ten passengers hostage. The film plays out the stories of the hostages, their interactions, their families awaiting them, and Jules's need to get out of this jam. One passenger, Jeanne, has an abusive husband, and she finds Jules an attractive alternative.