In Montreal, on the wrong side of town, in the early 1940's, there is a waitress named Florentine Lacasse who supports her family with her job at a deli. Florentine's father is Azarius, a decent carpenter, but a poor worker. Florentine spends at least some of her time flirting with her would-be boyfriend, Jean, who works as a machinist. Times are extremely difficult, and Florentine's meager income is already being stretched. To make matters worse, her mom, Rose-Anna, is pregnant with her 12th child.
One day, Eugene enlists in the army for an extra $20 per month. Then, when Rose-Anna visits Florentine at work to tell her, she sees a toy flute that she'd like to buy for Daniel (Florentine's sick brother), but they don't have the money.
Florentine's life is complicated when Emmanuel Létourneau begins courting her, but she's more interested in her young machinist friend. One day, the family travels to Rose-Anna's rural home where she grew up, and they see that in the country, life is not so difficult. After the trip, Azarius finds out that he has been fired for taking a company truck for the trip.
Florentine wasn't on that trip though. When her parents are traveling, Florentine seizes the opportunity to invite Jean over, and the two have sex. Unfortunately, Jean turns out to be quite shallow, and his disgust for her family's poverty drives him away permanently. Florentine discovers she is pregnant, and she accepts Emmanuel's marriage proposal.
At the hospital, Daniel is dying of leukemia. Strangely, though, he seems happier in the hospitals amenities than he ever felt at home. Azarius, learning of the downfall of his motherlands, France, decides to travel to England to enlist. The family gains an income of almost $100 per month, more than enough for a better life.
