Daniel Brodin - bibliophile, book thief, self-proclaimed poet - enters the heated atmosphere of the Café Serbier, home of the Parisian literati. A poetry night is taking place and, when one luminary suggests giving the floor to an unknown, Daniel impulsively puts himself forward. Under pressure, he recites not one of his own surrealist poems but an obscure piece of Italian verse he’s certain no one will know. It’s plagiarism - but it’s a triumph.

At last, success. Daniel’s recital marks his entrance into the Parisian avant-garde: a band of cultured rogues and pseudo-revolutionaries for whom life is a playground for art, whether plotting a novel or planning a heist. In such a milieu, the company is as intoxicating as the wine - but will success lose its dazzle if it is built on theft?