Fresh Water for Flowers

Julien explains how he found Philippe; he investigated a withdrawal from Philippe’s bank account and discovered that he lives 100 kilometers away from Violette. Violette is distraught and wishes Julien hadn’t gone looking for him.

In 1986, Violette and Philippe take on the job of crossing guards. They take over the cottage from a retiring couple who show them how to work the controls. The house is in disrepair, but Violette imagines what it will look like when she’s finished refurbishing it. She considers their relationship and how Philippe uses his knowledge of her abandonment issues to control her. Violette goes to buy cleaning products and converses with the girl working at the shop. She has her first experience lowering the barrier for an oncoming train and feels content in her new life.

Violette recounts some of the graves erected for people who have gone missing. One is for a couple that disappeared while mountain climbing, and one is for a child who went missing from school. People say that disappearance is worse than death, but Violette felt better not knowing what happened to Philippe. She reads the speech Julien wrote for his mother.

Violette remembers the birth of her daughter, Léonine. After her birth, Violette feels conflicted, knowing her childhood is gone forever. Philippe visits, followed by his parents. Philippe’s mother acts possessive of Violette’s daughter. Violette takes care of her child while Philippe is often away. She understands that her daughter will never abandon her.

Violette considers music at the cemetery and at funerals. Sometimes the cemetery receives odd requests for burials; sometimes people will leave music to play over a grave. One woman comes every year to sing. One year, she confessed her story to Violette: She fell in love with her French teacher, who had the same common last name. The woman, Olivia, began to understand that he loved her in return, but he revealed that they shared a name because they shared the same father from two different marriages. Years later, after Olivia had married and taken a different name, she returned to the French teacher and they lived together, unmarried, until the end of his days.

After Léonine is born, Violette teaches herself to read from a primary school textbook. She reads her exercises to Léonine, hiding the book from Philippe so he won’t realize that she is illiterate. When Violette is more comfortable reading, she begins reading stories aloud to her daughter. She returns to L’Oeuvre de Dieu, which she was unable to finish, and it becomes her favorite book. She considers the novel her adoptive family.

After a burial, Violette receives a letter from Julien. He recounts the day they met and his impressions of her as they went to Gabriel’s grave together. He writes that the experience felt surreal to him. He investigated Violette’s story and learned of Philippe’s disappearance, which brought him great joy. However, he apologizes for interfering. He encloses Philippe’s address in a sealed envelope so that Violette can open it or discard it as she wishes. Violette puts the envelope away in a book until she decides what to do.

Violette and Philippe are married on Léonine’s third birthday. Violette learns that it was at his mother’s urging. They are married at the town hall with only a few people present, and the ceremony is lackluster. Afterward, Violette and Léonine open birthday and wedding presents together.

Nono is telling stories to Father Cédric and the undertakers. The men compare tales of burials and some of the amusing people they’ve met. One of the undertakers says that they deal with life more than any other profession.

Violette learns where Philippe lives. She remembers the way her worries evolved over the years as he never came back. She visits the local solicitor, Mr. Rouault, and asks him to arrange for a letter sent to Philippe asking for a formal divorce. He encourages her to seek financial compensation too, but she declines. Violette tells him how Julien found Philippe’s address and how Violette went investigating by waiting at the brasserie across from Philippe’s house. He came in but did not see her. She learns that he’s working at a garage and married to another woman.

Violette places ladybugs on her roses to combat insects, remembering her childhood daydreams about her parents. Julien arrives carrying his mother’s ashes. Together they go to Gabriel’s tomb, and he places the ashes on his grave. Then they go to the funeral parlor to buy a plaque. Pierre Lucchini, the undertaker, is surprised to see Violette there and doesn’t know how to act around her. Julien and Violette agree to meet that evening at Violette’s home for dinner.

Julien recounts the story of his mother, Irène Fayolle, and Gabriel Prudent. They met at a trial where Gabriel was a defending lawyer. Irène was enchanted by Gabriel’s expressive hands. As the jury deliberated, Irène went into a café to read her book. Gabriel joined her and described the outfits worn by everyone in court in great detail; he explained that he could tell how to appeal to each person by what they were wearing. Later, Irène took up horticulture and began cultivating roses. One day, she received an order for roses to be delivered to the burial of Gabriel’s wife. She delivered them herself and then came across Gabriel in a bistro. They sat and drank together. He explained that the dead woman was his ex-wife and that he was now with someone else. Together, they visited his ex-wife’s grave.

One day, while Violette and Philippe are working the train crossing, all the trains stop due to a protest. Most passengers are picked up, but one woman and her daughter remain at the station because they have nowhere else to go. They are called Célia and Emmy. Violette invites them to come to her house. Violette and Célia become close friends. Célia implores Violette to leave Philippe and come live with them, but Violette doesn’t want Léonine to grow up without a father. After Célia and her daughter leave, Célia writes Violette and invites her to come visit them with Léonine and Philippe. They go to see her in Marseilles.

Violette, Philippe, and Léonine enjoy a holiday by the seaside, where Violette spends time with Célia. As their holiday ends, Violette convinces Léonine to return home so that they can celebrate her birthday and Christmas in a few short months.

Julien continues Irène and Gabriel’s story. They admitted their mutual attraction, but Irène was already married to Julien’s father. She dropped him at a train station and began driving back home, remembering parts of their earlier conversation. Partway, she turned back and met him, still waiting at the station.

Violette is alone; off in the distance, Elvis sings to one of the graves. While Violette works in her garden, Philippe appears and angrily tells her he received the solicitor’s letter and orders her never to write to him again. He leaves the letter behind and departs on his motorcycle. After he leaves, Violette tries to purge his presence from her home. Elvis meets Violette and comments that she looks pale.

In the past, Violette, Philippe, and Léonine return home from their holiday. Léonine begins school, and the family prepares for Christmas. Violette reflects on her relationship with the people in her life; she and Philippe no longer love each other. Violette sometimes speaks with the checkout girl at the supermarket, Stephanie. She communicates with Célia by letters and telephone. Philippe has little connection with his daughter, but she is Violette’s world. She takes her to ride the train that she always sees from the window. After Christmas, Léonine goes on holiday with Philippe’s parents. When she returns, she mentions a new friend, Anaïs.

Father Cédric, the gravediggers, and the undertakers are gathered in Violette’s kitchen all talking over each other. Violette is in the garden, listening to snatches of conversation. The men talk about politics, their neighbors, changing trends in burial, Julien, food, their jobs, and their outlooks on life. To Violette’s ears, their words all blur together.

Violette asks the solicitor to stop any proceedings against Philippe. On her way home, she visits Gabriel’s grave and considers his story. Nono arrives and tells Violette that a biker has had an accident. They go to the funeral parlor and Violette asks to see the body. After they show it to her, she faints.

In the past, Violette learned that Anaïs was a young friend Léonine met while on holiday with Philippe’s parents. Philippe’s mother was enthusiastic about their friendship. As the year went by, Léonine continued to learn and excelled at school. When summer again arrived, Anaïs’s family arrived for Léonine. They all had lunch together before they and Léonine departed on their holiday together.

In the present day, Julien arrives at Violette’s bedside. She considers that if they hadn’t met, Philippe would not have returned to her home.

Violette returns home from the hospital. The biker’s body has not been identified; however, Violette is certain she recognized Philippe. She walks through the cemetery toward the section where children are buried. She stops in front of a collection of graves, including those of Léonine and Anaïs.