Jacques (William Hurt) and Mado have been separated for 10 years, after being unable to deal with the death of their young son. When Jacques returns to France for his father's funeral, he sees Mado again, who now lives with a man with whom she has another son. Jacques secretly makes contact with the boy and comes to love him like his own. He goes so far as to hide in the cellar of his ex-wife – who thinks he has gone back to the US – where the boy visits him. In this way, Jacques virtually buries himself alive as he is fatally attached to the boy, who now feels responsible for his survival...

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