In the French provincial town of Vivonne, Jean Leonnec, the son of Mayor Hugo Leonnec, and Marise La Noue, the daughter of a cobbler, were childhood sweethearts, they who are largely oblivious to anything or anyone else around them when they are together in their continued love for each other. His father does not approve of the relationship because of their class differences. When her father passes away leaving her impoverished, Jean and Marise decide to run off to Paris together and get married against his father's wishes. Once in Paris, they are separated out of circumstance, each believing their separation the result of a different reason which may or may not be reality. In addition to searching for each other, they have to survive in unfamiliar surroundings. Beyond actually finding each other, they getting together again as a couple may be affected by their individual experiences in Paris, which fundamentally changes each as a person.