A Simple Soul

In a cramped, aging house behind the market of Pont‑l’Eveque, Madame Aubain presides over a modest household, her life reduced after her husband’s early death. Her faithful servant, Felicité, tends every chore with meticulous devotion—cooking, washing, mending, even polishing brass pans to a shine that sparks envy among other servants. The routine is relentless: she rises before dawn, works until night, and sleeps by the hearth clutching a rosary. Yet beneath her quiet efficiency lies a woman whose very presence steadies the fragile balance of the Aubain family.

Felicité’s own story is marked by loss and hardship. Orphaned young, she endured abuse, poverty, and a violent encounter at a summer fair that left her both frightened and ashamed. Years later, a familiar face from that night reappears, stirring memories she has tried to bury. As the seasons turn, listeners are invited to witness how her steadfast spirit confronts the shadows of her past while she continues to serve a household that both depends on and overlooks her.