 Saint-Henri, Montréal, in the winter of 1940. It is here that we meet Francine Lacasse, a young waitress working to help her parents support their too-large family. Francine is seduced by Jean Lévesque, an ambitious young man who then tries to foist her off on one of his friends. The film tells the story of this love triangle against the background of the family life of the Lacasses. Adapted from the novel by Gabrielle Roy.