Gervaise Macquart is a lovely Parisian laundress and mother, whose boyfriend, Lantier, abandons her. She later marries Henri Coupeau, a roofer who is involved in a tragic accident. Gervaise struggles to make ends meet on her own while her now-paralyzed husband succumbs to drinking. When Lantier returns and meets Henri, life becomes even more complex. Meanwhile, Goujet, the guy she truly loves, is imprisoned.