In 1944 France, a family had a daughter, Natalie, and adopted a son, Francis, on the very same day. The two grew up happily together, and fell deeply in love by the time they were teen. But Natalie's parents died before they could decide whether to give their blessings, and Natalie's new guardian, her aunt, would never approve. The lovers were driven first to elopement, then to suicide, though they somehow both survived, neither knowing what happened to the other.

Years later, Natalie learns the truth about her dead love... and his wife and son. After a series of tragedies, she decides to take in the boy, even as she is haunted by his resemblance to her lost love.