Rakkauden uhri

Nestled on a gentle hill, the town of P. rests beside the narrow, silver‑blue Chanteclaire river. Stone bridges span its calm waters, and the quiet Place de Quatre Femmes, paved with square stones, seems frozen in time. Only the daily march of uniformed officers disturbs the sleepy stillness.

Julien Mihon lives above a gardener’s house, earning a modest 1,500 francs as a postman. Tall and broad‑shouldered yet painfully aware of his own ugliness, he retreats into a solitary routine, finding brief peace watching the river’s steady splash from the stone embankment. His only companions are a mute copper‑engraver friend and occasional chess games at the Café‑des‑Voyageurs.

Yet the river’s song sometimes awakens a longing he cannot name, and the sight of a young match‑selling girl sparks a curiosity that draws him beyond his familiar routes. A chance encounter may soon challenge the quiet balance of his isolated life.