In the days leading up to World War I, a widowed well-digger named Pascal encourages his eldest daughter Patricia, who has returned from a Paris finishing school, to date a fellow laborer named Felipe. However, Patricia's life takes a dramatic turn when she meets a charming and womanizing air force pilot named Jacques, who gets her pregnant before being called to military service. As the truth about Patricia's pregnancy comes to light, Felipe proposes to her, but Jacques is reported missing in action, leaving Patricia to navigate a complicated situation on her own.