Pauline, 28, hopes that by moving to the countryside she will be able to come to terms with the recent death of her husband. Here, she meets François, an introverted man of about her age whose emotional wounds run much deeper than her own. Forever scarred by a childhood tragedy, François lives a prisoner-like existence, guarded night and day by his authoritarian father and intrusive sister. Pauline and François discover a common bond in the fact that they both desperately want to start a new life, but lack the confidence to do so. At first, they find it hard to communicate with one another. But, gradually, they find the words to express their feelings and begin to realise that each has the power to set the other free...