In the summer of 1969, Bernard, a Gaspesian fisherman's son, arrive in Perce to fin work. He meets Paul, Jacques and Francis, Quebec Independence activists who have come to open the 'Fisherman's House'. They aim to organize public conferences and offer lodgings to young travelers. A motley crowd of Quebecers from all over the province soon flocks to Perce: artists, hippies, rockers, hitchhikers and the like shake local authorities. Bernard is won over by the trio's ideas and gets increasingly involved in their project. The following year, the will join the Front de liberation du Quebec (FLQ) and play a pivotal role in the Summer Crisis 1969.

Forty-year-old Joanne Guiberry runs a modest hairdressing salon in Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon. Twice a year, at each solstice, she brightens up her rather dull life by meeting up with her lover. Twice a year, on the other side of the sea, on the banks of the immense St. Lawrence River, three hundred thousand snow geese land with a thunderous roar for a few weeks of feasting during their migration. Like a bridge between the time of the solstices and the time of the birds, there is Manon, a twenty-year-old student, and Louise, a large, wounded goose. Louise and Manon, each in their own way, will experience love and give Joanne a new lease on freedom.

It is the early 20th century. A stranger arrives in the small, rural community and disrupts the lives of its inhabitants. The man, who refuses to give his name, is dubbed The Outlander. A traveller who disdains conventional behaviour and parochialism, The Outlander disturbs the villagers' complacency and scandalizes the community; he also elicits admiration and gains a woman's love. He ultimately leaves in the same manner he had arrived, but not before he has helped the villagers open their eyes to the larger world beyond their village.