The story follows Jean-Pierre Bacadou after military service as he returns to a neglected family farm, persuades his aging father to accept his plans, and brings a young wife into a household marked by illness and slackened labor. Quietly observed scenes of work, domestic care, village ritual, and generational tension reveal characters who speak and act with restraint while small details of landscape and routine carry emotional weight. Through episodes of repair, marriage, and daily toil the narrative explores duty, responsibility, and the difficulties of restoring order and purpose to a decaying rural household.