Sandrine lives in Montigny-sur-Sambre, a small town in the so called « black country ", a region that once thrived on the coalmine industry. She's 19 years old. During the day she works at the cheese counter in a supermarket while in the evening she keeps a nail parlour at home. Her dream is to have her own beauty parlour. One fine day, she hears about a local beauty contest on the radio. Without hesitation she puts her name down. After all, winning could lead to a loan at the bank for setting up her own business, something she hasn't been able to obtain. During one of the qualification rounds, she sees her father making out with her best friend's mother. She is devastated but decides not to tell her mother, who's mad with joy because of her selection. Finally, Sandrine finds herself disqualified because of a lie about her breast size..