Protestant cleric Jean Barnery (Berling) when he divorces his severe wife after falling in love with Pauline (Beart), the independent-minded niece of an upper-crust parishioner. Heir to a porcelain factory in Limoges, Jean gives his fortune to his ex-wife to assuage his guilt over the divorce. Living idyllically in Switzerland with Pauline, duty calls: ignoring the wishes of his new wife his family asks him to return to Limoges to run the business. His new responsibilities, as well as his service in the Great War, change him and his relationship with Pauline irrevocably...