The victim of an unhappy and lonely childhood, Amélie Poulain attains adulthood with a strong sense of justice and a willingness to help others, a strange set of qualifications for a modest waitress in a Montmarte café. One day she decides to dedicate herself to bringing happiness to those who are less fortunate than she, whilst punishing those who deserve to be punished. Her crusade brings her into contact with a strange young man, Nino, who works in a sex shop and who collects discarded passport photographs. Although she falls in love with Nino, Amélie is unable to approach him herself...