Synopsis: The impoverished Marise La Noue falls for Jean Leonnec, the troubled son of the mayor of Vivonne, France. When her father succumbs to a heart attack, La Noue loses her only source of financial support and is forced to move in with a family that hates her. After Leonnec is wrongfully accused of robbery, he abandons La Noue and flees to Paris, where he sinks into a life of crime. A sad La Noue finds work as a prostitute and longs to be reunited with her lost love.