On the river Sorgue in Provence lies Vaucluse la Fontaine, a village of some two hundred souls. The emerald green waters of the river turn the great wooden wheel of the old paper mill, where Jean Louis has lived from the age of eight. Now a young man, Jean Louis is excited, if a little apprehensive, as he leaves the village on his trusted mare Sorrel. He feels proud that Brother Xavier, the leader of the monks who runs the old paper mill, has asked him to deliver an important letter to a destination two days' ride beyond the village. And so begins a long journey for Jean Louis as tragic events strike him and the village he has just left behind but which will, ultimately, lead to his discovery of the truth about who he is.