Marie Bertin is in at a dead end, both personally and professionally. When Pierre Gendreau, a former Canadian minister, asked for her help in writing his briefs, she saw the solution to a situation that had become unbearable. She hoped for a lot in this new life in Quebec, with her son, Tom, whom she had "all alone" a few months earlier. But, once in her new position, the situation is far from idyllic. The atmosphere of the house is heavy. The relations between Pierre, his wife, Nathalie, and their son François are tense.