Four noble ladies, four widows, live in isolation in a Berry ch teau. There's the Mme de Bussange, her two sisters Sylvie and Hélène, her sister-in-law Elisabeth and her little boy, who alone will pass on the family name. Two men come along: Gilbert and René, bringing trouble and confusion. Gilbert courts Hélène, while René becomes attached to Elisabeth. Relations between the widows become strained and heated, until an attempt is made on Elisabeth's life. The culprit, Sylvie, kills herself. In despair, Mme de Bussange sets fire to the castle and dies in the inferno.