On election night in 1981, celebrations spill out onto the street and there is an air of hope and change throughout Paris. But for Elisabeth, her marriage is coming to an end and she will now have to support herself and her two teenage children. She finds work at a late-night radio show and encounters a troubled teenager named Talulah whom she invites into her home.

This collection of five short films artfully portrays desire’s ability to both empower and destroy those who encounter it. In “The Summer House,” sultry teen Jane (Talulah Riley) is courted by a former beau, Richard (Robert Pattinson), during the chaotic summer of 1969. Other tales revolve around a waitress (Amy Adams) desperate to rescue her young daughter, and a techie (James Franco) who uses gadgets to keep emotions at bay.