Jean Renoir directs this musical comedy drama set amidst the glittering nightlife of late 19th-century Paris. Jean Gabin stars as theatre impresario Henri Danglard, who plans to base his new club - the Moulin Rouge - around a modern reinvention of traditional cancan dancing. To this end, he hires pretty young washerwoman Nini (Francoise Arnoul) with a view to harnessing her natural talents and making her the star of the show. But Henri's attentions to Nini soon ignite the jealousy of his bellydancer lover Lola (Maria Felix).