Kourou (Papa Wemba) is a young man seeking fame and fortune as a singer in Zaire’s capital, Kinshasa. He finds work with Mamou (Landu Nzunzimbu Matshia), the wife of a local nightclub proprietor whose dissatisfied husband, Nvouandou (Kanko Kasongo), is seeking another wife. Both Nvouandou and the young Kourou set their sights on the same woman — aspiring secretary Kabibi (Bibi Krubwa) — while Mamou does all she can to rig the romantic competition in Kourou’s favor.

The film was considered a major turning point in film production in the DRC with its more artistic approach. Unlike many African films of the time that concerned themselves with the effects of colonialism, La vie est belle celebrates Congolese culture, music and the lives of Kinshasans. The film score features Congolese music from artists Tshala Muana, Klody, and Zaiko Langa Langa, a Congolese soukous band co-founded by Papa Wemba.