Manon (Emmanuelle Béart), a beautiful shepherdess in Provence, France, has lost her father and seen her family's livelihood ruined through the greediness of her neighbors: Ugolin (Daniel Auteuil) and his grandfather, Cesar (Yves Montand). Now grown and living in isolation from the village, she plots revenge against the men for their misdeeds. Her plot is complicated by Ugolin, who has fallen in love with her -- but Manon's retribution will not be deterred.