Nicole Bely

Sylvie, a young woman who believes to be cursed, lives in the town of Carcassonne with her guardian, Mr. Toulzac. He is a retired teacher who wishes to discover the secret of the Cathars, a Christian sect of the Middle Ages that glorified death over life. Sylvie meets Roland, a composer who instills new hope into her troubled mind. Mr. Toulzac then asks her then to renounce the world and go down a secret tomb he has just found.

Côme de Lambrefaut inherited the family castle on the death of his father, but the notary told him that all his property was mortgaged. However, he wants to keep the pack of one hundred and ten hunting dogs that make him proud. In September 1939, the castle was destroyed during a bombardment, and the dogs escaped from their enclosure.