Pioneers struggle to establish a town in the harsh unsettled wilderness of northern Quebec during the depression.

A little girl wittness the death of her mother- expressly killed through negligence by the woman supposedly nursing the invalid mother back to health. The coniving nurse in turn marries the child's father thereby taking the dead woman's place and becoming the little girl's stepmother. After unwisely revealing to the stepmother that she knows the reason for her mother's death; Aurore is abused by her stepmother who hopes that in torturing the child she can keep her silent. The father, who is absent during the day farming the land, closes his eyes or refuses to believe his new wife is abusive when confronted by the sight of his miserable burnt and beaten child.

In this French Canadian film, when the provincial government tries to move two young farmers from their land to make way for development, the two fight back, accidentally killing a policeman and becoming outlaws in the process.

The melodramatic story of a widow, Marie Paradis, as she becomes an elderly dependant. Taking charge is her daughter-in-law, the cruel and stingy Céleste. Marie answers to all the stereotypes of the traditional mother: she's generous, loving.

The tragic story of little Aurore Gagnon has left its mark on the collective imagination of Québec. This documentary revisits the myth, which still resonates today.