戴安娜，紐約股票交易所的高級培訓生；瑟林姆，阿拉伯大亨；戴安娜遭到綁架到瑟林姆設置于北非沙漠，景致秀麗的隱蔽堡壘中，有趣的是，他們的角色互換了起來，戴安娜并不介意與這個迷人的男子同床共枕，誰知瑟林姆的后宮純粹只是用以裝點門面，他對性關係并沒有戴安娜那么隨便。事實上瑟林姆并非是壞人，他綁架戴安娜，完全是爲了一個自己也不信仰的歷史傳統的堅持，他是個完美主義者，一心要融入西方世界......

　　本片是特吕弗著名的“安托万系列”的第四部。
　　25岁的安东尼（让-皮埃尔·利奥德 Jean-Pierre Léaud 饰）与克里斯汀（克劳迪·贾德 Claude Jade 饰）结了婚，并在自家楼下开了一家深得左邻右舍喜欢的小花店，日子虽然平常，却也充满 小忧伤与小甜蜜。阴差阳错，他在水利公司谋得一份差事，工作中结识冷艳的日本女子Kyoko（Hiroko Berghauer）后，他被对方身上的异国情调深深吸引，两人坠入爱河，不久他与克里斯汀分居。但与东方美人一起生活时，巨大文化差异令他日益思念克里斯汀。

　　From the Louis Hemon novel "M. Ripois and His Nemesis" about Andre Ripois, a philanderer in pursuit of love and riches from Paris to London. Andre is breaking up with his wife, Catherine, over his attentions to her best friend Patricia. While Catherine is out arranging the divorce, Andre, just to keep in practice, hits on the girl upstairs, Diana and then turns his attention back to Patricia, who he tricks into having dinner at his flat on the pretext that Catherine will be there. When he cannot make any progress with her via his usual tactics, he tries to arouse her pity be telling her of his past. In his early, impoverished days in London, he made love to his boss Anne but her dreadful cooking drove him away. Next came Norah who he picked up on a bus and took to his flat and told her about his make-believe inheritance, but she insisted on marriage first, which was not in his plans. Marcelle, a French woman living in Soho, put him on his feet with money, and he repaid her by stealing fifty pounds and running off. He met the wealthy Catherine at his flat where she came to be tutored in French lessons, and ended up marrying him. But, even at his wedding, he had eyes only for Patricia and, he tells her she is his one true love.