Marie-Jeanne was born in Réunion, in the village of Cilaos. Her parents died when she was a child, and she was placed in an orphanage. She was then put on a plane and sent to mainland France, where she was placed with a foster family in the Creuse region. She endured a living hell with an elderly couple. Today, at 69, she dreams of returning to her island.
Marie-Jeanne’s story is not unique. Like her, other young people from Réunion from disadvantaged families were relocated by the French government to rural areas of mainland France that needed repopulating. They are the “children of the Creuse”, a government initiative in the 1960s. Through Marie-Jeanne’s journey, the film recounts their story.