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.