Plot summary

Gudule, tranquil in her life on a barge in late 19th-century France, has her existence shattered when her father drowns in a freak accident, leaving her with her abusive uncle who pilfers her inheritance and attempts to rape her. Escaping the barge, she befriends a young, petty criminal in a small nearby village, nicknamed "The Weasel," whose misdeeds incite the wrath of local peasants, who ultimately burn the coach in which Gudule lives. Again on the run, Gudule falls down a steep cliff and has eerie dreams about her past assailants. A wealthy young man Raynal finds and nurses her back to health but is unable to express his love for her until the brutish uncle returns, provoking him to act and defend her.—Bob Hudson