October 1980, Jacques is preparing to spend his last night as a civilian before being called up for the Algerian War. When he wakes up, the young man realizes he has missed his train and finds himself a deserter against his will. What follows are 48 hours locked in his maid's room, 48 hours during which he meets Elie, a young activist.

Blanche was raped in her adolescence by a servant, a cowherd named Baptiste. Her family, anxious to hide the shame that this scandal has cast on their reputation, locks the young girl in their manor, thinking that four walls are enough to silence the mockery. One day, Blanche, whom the whole country nicknames "Madame Baptiste", tries to commit suicide, consumed by the painful memory she carries within her. A man saves her and, charmed by the woman who now owes him her life, he asks her to marry him, thus defying the moral barriers set by public opinion. Life now seems happy for Blanche, but one day, at the agricultural show, the insult comes again: "Madame Baptiste!"...