Carolyn de Sayn was married at the age of sixteen, against her will, to the Prince of Wittgenstein, much older than herself. A few years later, she met Franz Liszt, whose fame had already conquered the whole of Europe. Taking advantage of her husband's absence, the young woman invites the musician to her estate in Woronince. When Franz confesses his love for her, she finds it easier to fight her own feelings.

Pierre is an engine driver who adopts a small girl, a WWI orphan. A widower, he sees in her the image of her mother.