1947. On a beach, Madeleine, a waitress in a hotel restaurant, mother of a little boy, meets François, a rich and cultivated student. The force of attraction that pushes them towards each other is commensurate with the secrecy that each carries. If we know what Madeleine wants to leave behind by following this young man, we discover over time, what François is desperately trying to flee by mixing Madeleine's fate with his.
Colorado, 1880. Sophie lives peacefully with her father Ernest, a former colonel of the US Army, and their Indian mare Nola, the only remaining vestige of the Cheyenne presence. Their existence is shattered when James and Hank Lewis, the sons of Ernest’s former soldier, happen to pass through their farm.