Auschwitz survivor and retired prostitute Madame Rosa (Simone Signoret) has become a caretaker for the children of other prostitutes. With her physical and mental health declining, Rosa begins returning her charges to their parents' care. However, she has grown attached to the only unclaimed child, Momo (Samy Ben Youb), a 14-year-old Arab boy whose parents disappeared years ago. Still tormented by memories of the Holocaust, Rosa becomes increasingly convinced the Gestapo is coming for her.