In 1877, a wealthy family employs Angèle-Marie, a young peasant, as a live-in wet nurse. An affectionate relationiship soon develops between Angèle-Marie and the young mistress of the household, Charlotte. But the husband, feeling alienated by his wife after the baby's arrival, takes a dim view of the developing rapport between the two women and his seeming exclusion from family decisions. He feels obliged to assert his authority over the two women.