A doomed teenage menage a trois, straddles the carnage of WWI France

SYNOPSIS:

The Auvergne 1912. In a small village Jean, 16, is in love with Marie, 15. She is aware of his affection but keeps him at arm’s length as she has ambitions beyond the provincial. Jean’s cousin, Henri, who has lost his parents and is orphaned, moves to the country to stay with his Aunt and Uncle. A Parisian, he is at once the focus of attention for Marie, as he represents the world she longs to become a part of. Henri, affects romantic inclinations toward Marie, ensuring that Jean, who confessed his love for Marie to Henri when they first met, knows he is merely stringing her along. Marie will not heed Jean’s warnings, and loses her virginity to Henri.

Henri brags of his conquest to Jean who fights him, but Henri is too street smart and lands him a low blow. Marie witnesses the fight and screams for Henri to stop and is shocked by Henri’s dirty tactics, nevertheless she takes Henri’s side much to the chagrin of Jean who felt Marie’s affection had turned toward him.

Shortly afterwards Henri, bored with the quiet life, flees back to Paris. Jean’s blissful happiness in the absence of his rival, berates Marie because she refused to listen to him. Marie, does not respond as Jean expects and runs away to Paris to find Henri. She struggles to find work and a place to stay but manages to survive long enough to run into Henri. He is dressed beautifully and admits he has been involved in illegal activities. Wary, she allows him to court her again, only to discover he has many lovers in the city.

Marie discovers she is pregnant and confronts him just as an assassination attempt on Henri is made by a rival gangster. She is shot and wounded and he abandons her, escaping into the night. Jean hears of this and races to her bedside but he is unable to shake her continued devotion to Henri and asks Jean to find Henri for her and promise to protect him. Jean vows he will. She does not tell Jean she is pregnant.

WWI breaks out and Jean enlists only to find himself in the trenches with Henri, who has enlisted to escape his pursuers. At Verdun both men are trapped in No Man’s Land surrounded by corpses. Henri is wounded badly and Jean is tempted to leave him there despite Henri’s pleadings, but Jean remembers his vow to Marie and tells Henri he will save him if he will marry Marie. Henri agrees.

Dragging Henri back to the French lines, Jean is shot in the leg just short of safety but Henri drags himself clear leaving Jean at the mercy of the guns. Jean screams at Henri to keep his vow.

A week later Jean wakes up in hospital, saved from death by his fellow soldiers. He is convalesced to his village and meets Marie, who has come home from Paris, with her and Henri’s daughter. He tells her that Henri is alive and has survived the war and is going to marry her. She says she has a letter from him asking her to meet him at the provincial Railway station. She goes but Henri does not arrive. Jean offers to marry her but she refuses, preferring to live alone with her little girl.

THE ABANDONED