In peacetime, Monsieur Morissot and Monsieur Sauvage went fishing together every Sunday. During the siege of Paris in the Franco-Prussian War, the two friends decide on a whim to go fishing at their old spot, even though it is behind enemy lines. Happily catching fish after fish, the friends ignore the rumbling of cannons-until they are captured by the Prussians. The commander tells the captives he will let them go if they will tell him the password needed to get back across French lines; otherwise, he will kill them. He wheedles and makes promises, yet the friends remain silent. The friends bid farewell to one another, then are executed, and the Prussians toss the two bodies into the river.