Port Alfred, 1931
As a major economic crisis rages, the town's paper mill is forced to close its doors. Residents, deprived of their income, are forced to use their ingenuity and resourcefulness to avoid poverty. Many decide to leave to find work elsewhere, and the Potvin family sees several of its relatives move away. Emma, the eldest, is a lively and responsible young woman who does everything she can to help her parents provide for the household. As she excels in school and is better educated than most girls her age, those around her already envision her becoming a teacher, even though she herself harbors a completely different dream.
But the depression continues and times get harder and harder... Emma is then forced to leave the family nest to earn a living as a governess in the industrial town of Arvida, working for her mother's engineer and friend, Camil Dubois. There, she will discover who she really is... her past as well as her destiny. A budding passion will allow her to overcome the ups and downs of daily life and finally spread her wings.
