Summary: Hector Valentin has inherited the family sawmill, and he dreams of rebuilding it into a profitable business. However, his competition is a modern operation with the money, the machinery and the manpower to keep him from succeeding. The arrival of two men, Laurent and Mick, makes things easier. Hector hires them and later is convinced by Laurent to sponsor a group of conditional parolees, men who will be released from prison early if someone guarantees housing and jobs.
The criminals bring good fortune to Hector. They work hard and even defend him when thugs from the rival sawmill threaten him. But for Laurent, their arrival is disappointing. The reason he suggested was to set up an act of revenge against a man he expected to be among the convicts But the man was not released and Laurent is left unsatisfied.
It isn't long, however, before his desire for revenge loses its importanct. Mick is killed in a fight, and because of that fatal brawl the parolees are taken out of Hector's custody, leaving him helpless to run his business. Laurent comes to realize there are more important things in life than revenge.
Les Grandes Gueules
(1969)
