On the meandering Canal St. Martin, at the Parisian Hôtel du Nord, a nearly fatal gunshot separates a dejected young couple. But, amid a sad but beautiful panorama of lively characters, love has the final say. Can life be a fairy tale?

On the mournful bank of the meandering Canal St. Martin, at the cheap Parisian Hôtel du Nord, the dejected young lovers, Pierre and Renée, take a room, bent on fulfilling an unholy pact. Then, in the dead of night, a nearly fatal gunshot chills the bone to the marrow, splitting the couple, apparently, forever. However--amid a sad but beautiful panorama of streetwise prostitutes; hard-as-nails procurers in impeccable suits; forlorn survivors; murderous former companions, and the police--unfulfilled desires, secret passions, and a dangerous romantic triangle have the final say. Now, in love's name, high expectations for a fresh start and a deadly semi-automatic pistol separate hope from despair. Can life be as easy as a fairy tale?—Nick Riganas