Tulipe, is an old man who lives alone in an old railway carriage in the Argentueil region of Paris. His main passions are gardening and oil painting, but he also has a secret source of income. His godson discovers that Tulipe is actually a master forger, producing perfect copies of 10 franc notes. His godson's girlfriend sees this as an opportunity to get very rich - but she must persuade Tulipe to forge 500 franc notes. Assuming Tulipe's agreement, his godson and his girlfriend buy an expensive new car and luxury villa in provincial France - but there is a cruel turn of fate in store for them when Tulipe strikes up a friendship with a millionaire playboy.