The action takes place in Odesa in 1918-1919. At the request of General Denikin, a French squadron arrives in Odesa to restore order in the city. Odesa Bolsheviks are trying to convince the sailors to leave the city. At the center of the story is the heroic fate of Frenchwoman Jeanne-Marie Lyabourb (1877-1919), shot by French interventionists.