An aging American man living in Paris, Mr. Pease, has to stop eating at one of his favorite restaurants because he can no longer afford the prices. The restaurant’s cat misses him, because they always used to sit together while he ate. Now, in the less expensive area of town, Mr. Pease hears the sound of a cat again at his new restaurant. It’s a street vendor selling cat cards that make noises when one presses on it, and Mr. Pease buys one. After a few more encounters, he and the cat man, M. Armand, establish a friendly repertoire. One day, as Mr. Pease’s funds continue to dwindle, M. Armand shares that he no longer has cat cards to sell because of tariffs, and the new dog card man is infringing on his territory. Mr. Pease goes home and collects all the cards he’s bought in the past to return to M. Armand, but he doesn’t show up for the next few days due to a short encounter with the flu. When he does appear again, he is so grateful to Mr. Pease that he invites him to a birthday celebration. The two then work together to make new cat cards and sell them at an even higher price. One day, they’re walking with another vendor when the dog card man appears, and M. Armand flies into such a rage that he attacks him. Mr. Pease takes a knife from the other vendor and stands over them, attempting to deter the fighting, but the police appear and misinterpret the situation. In jail, Mr. Pease has no identity card to prove he is an American, so he gives up in exhaustion and finds that there is still a cat card in his pocket.