Widowed at the age of twenty, Madame Boissière is a real mother hen, excessively brooding over her two sons Robert and Claude. She spoiled the marriage of one and kept the other away from any female presence. The latter runs off and marries a girl from the mountains. When his brother dies, the couple agree to return to live with Madame Boissière, who tries to separate them.

The artist Edouard Lavigne falls in love with a young girl but must quickly leave her because her parents are opposed to this relationship. Edourd's son will go in search of this woman and will thereby meet her daughter. About a love story that continues from one generation to the next.