A simple, powerful story set in the hills of Pagnol’s own Provence. It tells of man’s struggle in a harsh country where water is the source of life throughout the seasons. Jean arrives intending to make a fortune, armed with textbook theories of farming. But he is deprived of his spring water by two neighbours who connive for their own benefit, and loses everything in his battle with nature and man’s greed. Retribution belongs with his daughter, Manon, who eventually comes to terms with the land and forgives her neighbours.