A young man, born out of wedlock to his abusive mother Claudine, whose hopes he will become a priest are dashed when he refuses to enter the seminary.

1922. Raised on a remote farm by his strict mother who wants him to become a priest, one day, Francois revolts against her. She hits his head so severely that he becomes deaf. From that moment on, the only sound he hears is the torrent raging in the nearby forests.