Benoît Cazabon

In 1889, Dr. Sylvain de Caseneuve arrives in New Ontario, a region recently opened to settlers, many of whom are French-Canadians. Swept up by the spirit of Mattawa's thriving community, his many endeavours to offer physical and moral care are thwarted by commercial interests and complacent government officials. Reviewing his diary, diligently kept over 29 years, de Caseneuve relives his tumultuous love affair and eventual marriage to Jasmine Fife, with whom he has a son, Maxence. Simmering hostilities, rooted in conflicting English and French priorities, lead him to worry about Maxence's future and what lies ahead for his compatriots, whose cultural survival is threatened by Ottawa's priorities. Such trials ultimately lead to the failure of his marriage and a sense of alienation that compel him to leave Mattawa and to return to his homeland, alone and broken. His hopes are rekindled as he bonds with his undergraduate son whose resolve to seek a better future for his people redeems his father's vision.