Louise, the wind of freedom

In 1920, Louise lives with her mother and grandfather since her brothers and father died at the front. At eighteen, isolated in her small Breton village, she dreams of something other than the life of the women and men she observes at her cousin’s wedding. But her mother, who does not understand her, announces, without consulting her, her engagement to Eugène, a neighboring farmer. Angry, Louise leaves the wedding and crosses paths with two young men who attack her. The arrival of a couple in a car saves Louise, but does not prevent her from hearing the boys call her “the bastard of the Manor.” The next day, when she asks her mother for an explanation, her mother rebuffs her, while her grandfather invites her to ask her aunt, Blanche, for more information. A few days later, on the train to meet Blanche, Louise meets Rose, the village’s new schoolteacher. This encounter and the instant friendship that blossoms between them prompt the young woman to ask Rose to help her pass her school certificate as an independent candidate. Determined to become independent and escape the fate mapped out for her by her mother and society, Louise also gets a job as a sales assistant in the village haberdashery. To work, she needs appropriate clothing, so Louise decides to ask Constance, the woman who saved her from her pursuers on her cousin’s wedding night, for help. Constance takes Louise under her wing, dresses her from head to toe, and accompanies her on her quest to find herself.
Just as she finally sees her destiny taking a different turn, Louise is caught up in this story of bastardy and realizes that she must go to the Keroëc manor to discover the truth. Thanks to Paul de Clisson, the owner, and Edmond, a friend of Constance’s, she learns that her real mother, Nine, died in childbirth and that her father is none other than Edmond, who knew nothing of her existence. This news upsets the young woman but does not prevent her from succeeding.