1930s French romantic drama following river barge captain Jean (Jean Dasté) who marries young country girl Juliette (Dita Parlo). Juliette joins the captain on his ship, L'Atalante, but soon grows restless and wishes to see Paris. Jean acquiesces and takes her to a cabaret in Paris where a peddler makes advances to her and arouses her husband's jealousy. When she sneaks off to the city he sets sail without her and it is up to the drunken old first mate, Jules (Michel Simon), to make amends and find Juliette. This was director Jean Vigo's first and only feature film as he died shortly afterwards from tuberculosis only 29 years old.