Donadieu's will
The body of Oscar Donadieu, a heroic figure in the small town of La Rochelle, is found floating in the harbor that is home port to the ships that contribute to the vast Donadieu family fortunes. As his family tries to function without their patriarch, extraordinary entanglements emerge. Into this web of festering relationships comes Phillipe Dargens, an ambitious young man who hopes to marry into the family. Suspicions of murder abound, as assorted intrigues bubble just beneath the surface of life in this provincial world.