In Cantagrel, Urbain Coindet, a farmer and town councilor in his forties, finds his wife hanging from a beam in the barn. Aurélie Coindet has committed suicide but not everybody is convinced. The village is soon divided in two conflicting sides, the Republicans who support Urbain and the clericals accusing him of murder, which particularly suits Frédéric, a tobacco smuggler who hates the farmer. Urbain's case becomes even worse as he develops a tender feeling for Jeanne, a sweet young lady who happens to be Frédéric's sister...