Pacifiction

De Roller, High Commissioner of the French Republic on the island of Tahiti in French Polynesia, is a self-confident man with perfect manners. Never to be found without a white suit and tinted glasses, he enjoys flaunting his authority - whether at the local nightclub Paradise Night, receiving representatives of the local population at his tropical residence or interacting with the dancers at a traditional variety theatre. But a rumor causes unrest among the locals and forces De Roller to face up to his political responsibilities: A French nuclear submarine is said to be off the island, threatening to resume the nuclear tests in the region that have been suspended. Together with hotel employee Shannah, a Mahu to whom De Roller feels attracted, he sets out to get to the bottom of the rumors. But the further he goes in his search, the more surreal the connections seem. De Roller is confronted with new players who are beyond his control: A mostly drunk admiral of the navy refuses to show De Roller any respect, a local leader organizes the resistance of the population and an undocumented Portuguese diplomat appears to be pursuing secret agendas together with the Americans. In his hallucinatory search for the truth, De Roller gradually realizes his own powerlessness.