The Abandoned

Auvergne - 1912. Jean, 16, loves Marie-Louise, 15. Jean’s cousin, Henri, 17, his parents murdered, settles with Jean's family from Paris. Marie-Louise spurns Jean and, jealous of another girl Aurelie, falls for Henri. When Aurelie claims she is pregnant with Henri’s child he runs away back to Paris, but she follows and finds him. With war on the horizon Henri is trying to avoid the draft and his old enemy, Louie, who is aware of his presence back in the capital. Marie-Louise steals money from her employer so they can escape but Louie ambushes them shooting Marie-Louise. Henri runs away. Recovering she is visited by Jean and impels him on oath to bring Henri back to her as she is pregnant. There is no trace of Henri and Jean is called up to fight. At Verdun, Jean is trapped, at night, in a shell crater in No-Man's Land. Suddenly Henri emerges from beneath a pile of corpses, leg broken. Jean drags him within metres of the French lines before Henri finally stirs. A sniper shoots Jean in the back but Henri crawls back to safety leaving Jean to die. Jean, however, is hauled back by his comrades and rehabilitated. Committed to his promise he goes to Paris and finds Henri again beneath the Sacre Couer, waiting in a thick fog to ambush Louie. Jean attempts to dissuade him from more killing and instead return to Marie-Louise. Henri agrees, but insists on killing Louie, as it was Louie who murdered his parents. As Louie emerges, Henri knocks Jean to the ground, running into the mist after Louie brandishing his gun. A shot is heard. Jean passes out but when he recovers there is no trace of either man. A week Jean takes Marie-Louise and her daughter to the railway station to meet Henri. As the passengers disembark she runs toward Henri, kissing him, but it is not Henri. He never arrives.