1989. Rose, a single mother, has immigrated to Paris from the Ivory Coast with her young sons Jean and Ernest. She lives cramped in the suburbs with her sister, building a new life for herself: cleaning in a hotel, spending nights out, and escaping into romantic encounters with potential suitors. She is a devoted mother who tenderly cares for her boys—instilling in them the urge to strive for a better life, to educate themselves and become good, better men. Finally finding a partner, she moves to Rouen with him and her sons.

Ten years later. Jean struggles with his exams and to find his place in society. Both sons, on their own, must fend for themselves. Rose works in Paris only coming to visit on weekends. Tensions increase when she returns with a new man—a partner the boys reject. Another decade later, Ernest—now a philosophy professor in Paris—has gained the recognition his mother desired for him. Still, he lives estranged from her and alone; his brother has also vanished from his life.

Léonor Serraile’s second feature intimately chronicles a family’s unity and ultimate unraveling over three decades, avoiding the trappings often prevalent in migration stories. A moving, intergenerational portrait where the choices of one individual can have a profound impact on all.