When Joseph, a seasonal worker, offers to help out on Monique’s farm, she doesn’t say no. For this austere woman, whose husband didn’t return from the war, a man’s help is precious, particularly at the beginning of a summer which promises to be arduous. Little by little, Joseph settles in with Monique, his boss, Jeanne her teacher daughter, and Monique’s elderly mother-in-law. Conscientious and good-looking, he soon earns a reputation in the nearby village, inciting curiosity and envy. As the days go by, Monique begins to think of him in a different way, prey to emotions that she’d believed she would never feel again. Meanwhile Joseph and Jeanne become friends. They’re young, and she can teach him to read and write. Between this man and these women bonds form – silent and passionate, ambiguous and violent. A storm approaches and it will have dramatic effects on all their lives.