It is 1932. Gabriel Sargent's poverty and suffering are intensified when he loses his job at the mines and his father commits suicide. Yet in his painting and Rosel, a refined German woman, Gabriel hopes for a very different existence. He is falling in love with Rosel, but can he ever cross the gulf between them? She is educated and elegant, and he can offer nothing except for his love and protection. And, with the approach of World War II, it is Rosel's nationality that will surely drive them apart...