Nicole Garcia co-writes and directs this romantic drama adapted from the novel by Milena Agus. The film follows Gabrielle (Marion Cotillard), a young woman from a small village in rural France whose romantic pursuit of her teacher leaves her parents mortified. Deciding she needs a dependable husband, they arrange for her to marry Spanish farmer José (Alex Brendemühl) in the hope he will be able to curb her wild ways. However, despite José's devotion to her, Gabrielle is deeply unhappy and is given a chance to escape her situation when she is sent to a spa in the Alps for treatment for a kidney problem. While there she meets and falls for recovering war veteran André Sauvage (Louis Garrel), and although she starts to believe André could be the man she's always longed for, she must soon face reality and the prospect of returning to her husband and unhappy life back home.