The Water of the Hills

After the death of Jean Cadoret, his wife has returned to the life of opera singer and his daughter Manon has grown up and become a gorgeous lonely shepherdess. Ugolin is now a thirty year-old wealthy bachelor planting carnations. His grandfather Cesar Soubeyran presses him to get married to carry the name of their family since he is the last man alive. When Ugolin sees Manon on the fields, he falls in love with her. One day, Manon plots revenge against Ugolin and Cesar and the whole town is in despair.

In a rural French village an old man and his only remaining relative cast their covetous eyes on an adjoining vacant property. They need its spring water for growing their flowers, so are dismayed to hear the man who has inherited it is moving in. They block up the spring and watch as their new neighbour tries to keep his crops watered from wells far afield through the hot summer. Though they see his desperate efforts are breaking his health and his wife and daughter's hearts they think only of getting the water.