Book is in French Champs-de-Grâce, 1939. While the threat of a new world war looms, the Leclerc family still bears the scars of Constance's death. Madeleine takes care of the children of her precious Edgar as if they were her own, but must be content, on the part of the widower, with expressions of affection which have more to do with gratitude than with passion. With the eldest going to college, only the girls are left at home. Ready for marriage, Agnès exhausts herself waiting for a suitor who is too often absent. Catherine, for her part, is noticed by Sister Lucienne, a devoted teacher, who intends to develop the full potential of this student who is as gifted as she is undisciplined. When the government in place introduced compulsory enlistment, priest Gauthier takes great measures to denounce this inhumane law. In the quiet hamlet, secrets and betrayals surge, like the conflict raging in Europe and dividing the parishioners into two camps.