Set at Christmas time, the story is told from the point of view of 15-year-old boy Benoît (Jacques Gagnon) who is coming of age in a mining town.

The Asbestos Strike is regarded by Québec historians as a seminal event in the years before the Quiet Revolution (c. 1959–1970).

On 24 December, he begins work, setting up the store display much to the delight of the town and flirting with Carmen, the young girl whom his uncle and aunt employ, and treat as an adopted child.

Madame Jos Poulin's eldest son, Marcel, dies that day, and she places a call to the store asking if Antoine can come to take care of the body.

He confesses to Benoît that he hates dealing with the dead bodies and that he is miserable in his life, wishing that he had achieved his dream of owning a hotel in the United States as he had wanted.

The new shooting was done in February 1971, and added $40,000 onto the film's budget, $237,214 (equivalent to $1,783,077 in 2023) of which was paid for by the NFB,[2] which remains the producer of record.

[2] Mon oncle Antoine has twice been voted the greatest Canadian film in the Sight & Sound poll, conducted once each decade.