In the 1940s, France is under German occupation, and Emma has joined her husband, Louis, in Morocco. She is proud of her emancipation, of her husband and her new life. But she cannot get used to this environment that she does not understand, to these brown faces, to this unknown language, to her loneliness. When she learns that she is pregnant, Emma imagines a calm and cheerful boy, loyal and reliable like his father. But it is a girl who shows up… Little Angèle is a difficult child who does not let herself be loved. So, Emma entrusts her to her Moroccan nanny, Mahjouba.
In the 1980s, Karine’s father left when she was only 8 years old. Angèle doesn’t feel like a mother, she doesn’t know what to do with this skinny and sad little girl who burdens her daily life. Karine is not the friendly daughter she dreamed of, just a frightened little creature that needs to be taken care of.
In the 2000s, Karine has just given birth to little Heloise. She believes she should feel an ocean of love for this little being. But nothing comes. Her daughter worries her and frustrates her, while Antoine, her husband, turns out to be a perfect father. Faced with the loving duo that the little girl and her father form, Karine feels jealous, excluded. She feels like running away…