The Story of Perrine (1978)

An adaptation of the French novel "Nobody's Girl" (1893) by Hector Malot. The 13-year-old Perrine Paindavoine is the daughter of a French father (Edmond) and an Anglo-Indian mother (Marie). Following the death of her father, Perrine and her mother operate a traveling photo studio while traveling towards France. Marie falls ill and dies in Paris. Perrine then travels on foot to the town of Maraucourt, in hopes of meeting with her estranged grandfather Vulfran Paindavoine. The grandfather is a wealthy industrialist, but Perrine soon learns that he is both the town's main employer and its feared tyrant. Using an alias, Perrine starts working for Vulfran and tries to earn his trust.