Le crime d'Orcival

In the quiet summer of 1860, the sleepy riverside village of Orcival awakens to a shocking discovery. Jean Bertaud, known locally as La Ripaille, and his son Philippe are out early fishing when they stumble upon the lifeless body of a woman—her silk dress torn, hair tangled in the reeds, and her face submerged in the mud. The grisly scene, set against the gentle flow of the Seine and the lush park of the nearby Count de Trémorel, instantly turns their routine outing into a moment of dread.

Faced with the choice between self‑preservation and civic duty, the father‑son duo debates whether to alert the town’s mayor. Their uneasy walk back through the misty countryside hints at deeper secrets hidden among Orcival’s picturesque homes and aristocratic estates. As they set off toward the mayor’s house, the mystery of the woman’s identity and the circumstances of her death promise to unravel the tranquil façade of this provincial community.