本片和特吕弗的《四百击》同被誉为法国电影新浪潮的开山之作。
在比利时首相去布鲁塞尔参加高层会议的时候，首相乘坐的轿车被人劫持。司机被人杀害，而首相本人也被绑架。很快，首相得知自己的妻子和孩子已经被劫为人质，而换取人质人身安全的筹码，就是首相必须要杀掉他将在下午三点会晤的美国总统。
Based on the novel by L. P. Hartley, The Hireling is a dissection of antiquated but hardly dormant British class distinctions. Chauffeur Robert Shaw is in the employ of aristocratic widow Sarah Miles. When she suffers a nervous breakdown, Shaw helps her through her recovery. They grow to love each other during the convalescence; but when she is cured, Ms. Miles refuses to regard Shaw as an equal, and the original status quo is reinstated. The Hireling provides an interesting contrast to the similarly structured American film of 1991, Driving Miss Daisy.
