The title of this French "reality" drama which translates to Before the Deluge is a play on Louis XVI's famous prognostication "Apres moi le deluge." Set in 1950 the film concentrates on five Parisian adolescents. Certain that the next war will herald the apocalypse the youngster make plans to run off to a desert island and set up a new society. This however will require money which is why the boys decide to pull off a "necessary" robbery. Idealism collapses in the face of cold reality as the five youths suffer from the consequences of their actions. Avant le Deluge was one of a group of films cowritten by director Andre Cayatte and Charles Spaak which endeavored to explore the touchy social issues of the day: others in the Cayatte-Spaak canon include the euthanasia-themed Justice est Faite and the capital-punishment tract Nous sommes tous des assassins.