Jean Maurel

In this, the sequel to Jean de Florette, Manon has grown into a beautiful young shepherdess living in the idyllic Provencal countryside. She plots vengeance on the men who greedily conspired to acquire her father's land years earlier.

In a rural French village, an old man and his only remaining relative cast their covetous eyes on an adjoining vacant property. They need its spring water for growing their flowers, and are dismayed to hear that the man who has inherited it is moving in. They block up the spring and watch as their new neighbour tries to keep his crops watered from wells far afield through the hot summer. Though they see his desperate efforts are breaking his health and his wife and daughter's hearts, they think only of getting the water.

To his chagrin, young Marcel Pagnol and his family move back to their home in Marseille, France, far from their pastoral holiday cottage in the hills. Determined, Marcel makes the long voyage back to the cottage on foot and lands himself in trouble. One day Marcel's father discovers a shortcut to the cottage, but it requires trespassing. Despite their trepidations, Marcel and his family begin using the secret trail to reach their cottage.

The film is set in Marais, a quiet region along the banks of Loire river in 1918. Riton is afflicted with a bad-tempered wife and three unruly children. Garris lives alone with his recollections of World War I trenches. Their daily life consists of seasonal work and visits from their two pals: Tane, the local train conductor and Amédée, a dreamer and voracious reader of classics.

Paula Barretto (Juliet Berto) is caught in the underworld because her father was involved in the drug business, her brother is in the real estate scam, and her lover is an armed thief. Although she tries to get out of her corrupt and dangerous environment, it is not an easy task when even the police officers cannot be trusted, and the underworld has informants everywhere.

In a small village of Haute-Provence, it is an event. The abandoned bakery comes back to life. Aimable and his wife Aurélie bring out the first batch of bread for the happiness of the inhabitants. Among the first customers, Dominique, a young shepherd, does not leave Aurélie indifferent...

Emmanuel, 37, lives in Paris with his wife, Irene, and his daughter Anne, 14 years old. He accidentally discovers that Irene is receiving mail in the remaining mail. She refuses to follow Emmanuel to Italy where he has to write a biography of Filippo Lippi. Distraught, Emmanuel decided to leave immediately for Florence.

Max, who dreams of adventures, abandons his studies at 18 to become involved in the navy. He becomes the sailor 512.

Michel left Marseilles to Italy when he was twenty years old. Courageous and active, he has succeeded in the construction industry. Thirty years later, his return to Marseilles, for his aunt's burial will abruptly change the life of all of his family, who was first fascinated by his social success. He is regarded as the son who made it like wonder. Michel is the only one who has emigrated. They have all remained in the home country ("le pays") and their social status has hardly changed: workmen, small employees, craftsmen, all living in a modest framework.

Irénée has no desire to work in his uncle's grocery shop and dreams of becoming an actor. His opportunity comes when a crew of movie makers came to his little village. Irénée begins to go over the top in order to be noticed, which earns him the traditional joke reserved to a "Schpountz" (naive person): a phoney contract and a departure for Paris.

In the streets of Marseille, René Allio encounters, once again, the spaces of his childhood, and remembers his family history.