Set in the Dordogne during the Bourbon Restoration, it tells the story of a young peasant who leads a revolt against an evil nobleman.

Misfortune falls upon the family when Jacquou's father is hunted for killing servants of a cruel and arrogant nobleman, the Count of Nansac.

And one cold winter night, Jacquou decides to kill himself by freezing to death (like his mother) in a cemetery beside a church.

The unexpected hoots of an owl (in the middle of the night) alert the local priest, who with his friend, the physician, comes to the boy's rescue.

Nevertheless, Jacquou manages to get out, finding a room filled with firearms in the process, and plots with his friends to overthrow Nansac.

Some time later Jacquou is seen at the court as he faces charge of rioting and sexually assaulting Galiote, brought on by Nansac.

[2] Variety gave the film a positive review, praising it as "feisty family fare" with "pleasingly Dickensian" themes.

[3] Characterizing the film as a "handsomely mounted, old-fashioned mini-epic",[3] Variety singled out its cinematography for praise: "Painterly widescreen lensing wins the day.

Shot in the burnished fields and rustic outcroppings of France and Romania, with a preference for classy amber and ochre tones, many scenes look like vintage etchings or oil paintings.