Devi is a French girl who has been raised by a native Cambodian family since she was found wandering in the forest 12 years ago. She looks forward to marrying Rahit, the son of her foster mother, but her idyllic existence is shattered when government officials return her to her brother, Philippe Bergerat, who has been searching for her since the Japanese attacked their family's plantation in 1943. Determined to win Devi's love, Philippe excludes everything else from his life, including his unhappy wife, Anne, but his need for spiritual love soon becomes a physical desire for his sister. When Rahit arrives, the frightened Devi agrees to run away with him. As they make their way back to the village, Philippe takes pursuit in his car. The youngsters hide in the forest, and Philippe drives after them, but he is killed when his car skids off the road and crashes into some trees.