Winter 1949. An exceptional teacher, highly devoted to the development of his students, brother Jean has long been the figurehead of a school for boys in Charlevoix, Québec. Adulated by the young students and supported by the school’s director, brother Jean exercises broad leadership and isn’t hesitant to employ unusual educational methods borrowed from theatre, cinema and scientific research. Although the higher ranks of the congregation sometimes find his methods a tad too inventive, his noticeable success with the young people has earned him the freedom to conduct his research as he pleases. But the arrival of a new student —Émile, a troubled 13-year-old— soon upsets the delicate arrangement.