La Bête Humaine

1. In Paris, Roubaud discovers that his wife, Séverine has been raped and abused by her "protector" Grandmorin, an executive of his train company. Roubaud plans to murder Grandmorin, forces his wife to write to suggest they meet in Le Havre, and they all board the train.
2. Jacques Lantier visits his aunt Phasie, married to Misard, who she is convinced is poisoning her. Jacques has urges to murder a woman. While out walking, he meets his cousin Flore, they embrace, but as they are about to have sex, he imagines plunging a pair of scissors into her throat, he tears himself away, wanders some more, and witnesses the murder of Grandmorin on the train. Misard finds the body and leaves Jacques to guard it, while he seeks the authorities.
3. Au Havre, the following morning, Roubaud waits nervously for the station head to receive the news of Grandmorin's murder. When it comes, M. Cauche is sent for, investigates the private wagon where the murder was committed, calls the Roubauds as witnesses. We meet Pecqueux, Jacques' engineer, a drinker and filanderer as well as his extra wife, Philomène Sauvagnat, and Mme Lebleu, who conspires against the Roubauds because of a jealousy over the apartements that they live in over the station waiting rooms.
4. Interrogated by the juge d'instruction and accused by Mme Bonnehon (Grandmorin's sister), and the Lachesnayes (her daughter and her son-in-law), the Roubauds fear incrimination, but are saved by Jacques who realizes that they are guilty, but realizes also that he is in love with Séverine. The juge's suspicions by now are fixed on Cabuche, who has spent five years in prison for murder, and who's friend was also abused by Grandmorin, though Cabuche seems sincere in his denial of the crime.
5. Still fearful of discovery, Roubaud sends Séverine to Paris to get closer to Jacques and to visit M. Camy-Lamotte, another director of the train company and potential new benefactor. The latter receives Séverine, knows that she is guilty due to the letter sent the day of the murder, but directs the investigator to close the case due to fear of scandal and also due to Séverine's beauty. Jacques and Séverine become closer.
6. A month passes and the gossip around the Roubauds dies down. As the Roubaud's become more distant to each other, Jacques and Séverine become closer. After initially refusing, Séverine finally agrees to meet Jacques while her husband works and, on the night of a vast storm, they finally have sex in a tool shed of the station. Jacques believes that his murderous urges have been quelled by his love for Séverine. Roubaud has begun to gamble and he and Séverine quarrel over money. There are 10k Francs hidden under a floorboard, stolen from Grandmorin on the night of the murder - Roubaud would rather die than touch then, but one night, returning from the café, he removes them to continue gambling.
7. Every Friday Séverine takes Jacque's morning express to Paris to "consult with a doctor about a bad knee" but in reality to spend the day with Jacques. This Friday, it is already snowing hard, but she makes the trip anyway. The train gets stuck near Misard's house and Séverine and several of the other passengers take refuge there while a team dig the train out. Flore sees Jacques kiss Séverine.