Three lives tell the little-known story of the Cossacks in France, during the war and post-1945.

In a valley of the French Corrèze, a community of Cossacks. It’s January 1939. For almost twenty years, these sons of the tsarist imperial horse-guard have led an autonomous life. Having arrived in France following the October Revolution, these men devoted themselves to horse-breeding. But the war opens old wounds: shouldn’t they try to rid Russia of Bolshevism, even if it means siding with Hitler? That’s the choice of Vassia. He leaves behind his only daughter, Sonia, and his unfailing friend Vania. Vania will stand by her side right to the end of the road to assimilation. Determined to escape poverty, she throws herself into a brilliant political career.