Le grand soir

January 22, 1905. Paris crowds in after the funeral procession of Louise Michel, legendary icon of the Commune. Among the workers, the young Jeanne Desroselles, disguised as a woman of the people, mingles with the crowd. Idealist and activist, this young heiress has been attending public gatherings for several months, vibrating with the demands of those fighting for justice and freedom. But this winter morning will be Jeanne’s last. In the eyes of the police as well as her family, Jeanne has vanished. Her cousin Lucie is not satisfied with this conclusion, and she goes from tavern to tavern to find the trail of the missing woman. During this time, in the four corners of France, women gather to make their right to speak heard and to dispose of their bodies, miners and workers demand a job that does not condemn them to death… All of them are preparing to come massively to Paris, to demonstrate together on May 1^st. It will be the Big Night.

After La République des faibles, winner of several literary prizes, Gwenaël Bulteau takes us alongside Lucie, in a Belle Époque vibrating to the sound of cries of revolt.