Trelkovsky (director Roman Polanski), a Polish immigrant residing in Paris, moves into an apartment vacated by a young woman who committed suicide by leaping out of her window. Upon moving in, Trelkovsky begins feeling that the woman's personality traits are being thrust upon him. At a local shop, the proprietor offers him the breakfast and cigarettes that the woman usually purchased--and he accepts them. Holed up in the psychotic environment of a dark Parisian building that's peopled with odd characters, Trelkovsky feels himself overcome by a kind of madness. His slow mental deterioration finally compels him to emulate the woman's final, tragic hours. Polanski's twisted and darkly comic thriller was nominated for the Golden Palm (Best Picture) at the 1976 Cannes Film Festival.