A man of the "land" takes over his family's farm farm from his cruel and unforgiving father. Rather than letting his son inherit the property, Jacques forces him to buy it off him with a bank loan and during the ensuing years, Pierre is bled dry as he tries to make ends meet and pay off the mounting debt, expanding the business to turn more profit, while avoiding a takeover by conglomerates who are swallowing up everyone else in the area.