In 1851, following the brutal repression of republican dissidents by Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, every adult male in a remote mountain village in Provence is rounded up and marched away. Completely cut off from the outside world, the women are left alone to tend the fields and manage the community. As months turn into years with no word from their missing husbands and fathers, the younger women—led by Violette—make a solemn pact: if a solitary man ever enters their village, he will be shared among them so that life and future generations may continue. When Jean, a mysterious migrant blacksmith on the run, finally wanders into their valley, the women put their pact into motion. Chosen to break the ice with him, Violette quickly falls deeply in love. However, to honor her vow to the community, she must convince Jean to sleep with the other women as well. The unusual arrangement creates delicate emotional dynamics, testing love, duty, and solidarity within the isolated village.