Rivette instantly establishes his playful, no-rules reality as two theater troupes rehearse avant-garde versions of Aeschylus plays climaxing in an epic, hypnotic warm-up exercise that unfolds like a primal, clothed orgy. We are introduced to a deadpan, deaf-mute busker (Jean-Pierre Léaud) and Fr...

The outlines of a conspiracy begin to emerge as the mute busker begins receiving cryptic letters with references to Balzac and Lewis Carroll’s The Hunting of the Snark. Meanwhile, theater rehearsals take an unsettling turn.

The mystery of the enigmatic notes deepens as the busker learns about their connection to Balzac’s History of the Thirteen. Elsewhere, tensions flare up at rehearsals.

The various strands of the story begin to intersect. The busker continues on his quest to uncover the source of the cryptic letters, while Frédérique is also inadvertently drawn into the conspiracy. Games—cops and robbers, chess, and cons—abound.

Frédérique finds that blackmail doesn’t pay as she crosses paths with the busker who is now in love with Pauline (Bulle Ogier)—or is it Emilie? Meanwhile, a wild goose chase through Paris ensues when one of the productions is fleeced out of money.

Maps, symbols, codes, card games, and double meanings: the intrigue starts to accelerate.

Cracks in the conspiracy begin to appear and things really start to get trippy.

And then the narrative implodes...