The third installment in Marie-Bernadette Dupuy's series, set at the close of World War I. Jean and Leon, safe and sound, return home to the valley of Eaux-Claires, attempting to resume their normal lives. Faustine, an Angoulme orphanage teacher, is engaged to Denis Giraud, heir to the Ponriant estate. She soon realizes she prefers Matthieu, whom her family considers a brother. Meanwhile, Jean and Claire face more dark times. Jean struggles to find purpose in farming after his war experiences, and Claire, while supporting her near-bankrupt husband, takes in her four-year-old half-brother Arthur, tiennette's son.