The film is told in five chapters indicated by fade-outs. The chapters are ordered in reverse so that the holiday in Italy is chronologically first, followed by Gilles and Marion's wedding, then the birth of Nicolas, then the evening with Gilles's brother and his lover, and finally the divorce agreement and hotel scene.
In the divorce scene the dates of Nicolas's birth and Gilles and Marion's divorce are given as 15 November 1999 and 17 February 2003, respectively. The date of the wedding is unclear, though the wedding costumes and warm nights may indicate a summer wedding. The date of the Italian holiday and thus the length of Gilles and Marion's relationship is also not clear from the film.
