Francis is released after forty years in prison, full of hope and illusions as he embarks on a new life in his mid-sixties. Lucie, the young lady in charge of his rehabilitation, waits for him at the exit. Offering a sympathetic ear to the disillusioned Francis, she acts as an intermediary to this new alienating environment in which he finds himself. He feels trapped in this town; he is running from his past, but he cannot hide from it. Lucie goes all out to help him, and finally, to let him go.