In 1850, at a time when industrial development is disrupting the world, two researchers, doctors Charcellay and Giraudet, find evidence of a distant past and travel backwards in time ...
Under the Loire sky, Governor Marcellus receives Centurion Cerialis. They both discuss the benefits of Roman protection, which brings peace and prosperity to the Turon country. The sweetness of life prevails, lulled by the nearby rustling of water that feeds the villa's thermal baths and irrigates the flourishing crops it dominates...
In the late 10th century, Pope Urban preaches the holy crusade in Tours. The processions of pilgrims and crusader troops draw their fervor from the pure waters of the source. The peasants live in fear of God and the warlike Fulk Nerra, conqueror of territories, who builds castles and abbeys, goes on crusades, and tortures and kills those in his path. At the twilight of his life, he is filled with remorse and fears God as well.
Life has little importance in the Middle Ages. When death is not lurking near them, nobles and commoners alike need to feast. The court dances in its fine attire. Knights, on their fiery steeds, show bravery during colorful tournaments. Entertainers and jesters enchant the court with their performances. Finally, joy reigns over their present, enjoying these moments... The great plague will make no distinction between the small and the powerful. Carts collect the dead of the day, cross towns and villages to take them to the pyre.
Francois I opened France to Italian art. The Renaissance combined wealth and beauty in all areas of creation. Jacques de Beaune, superintendent of finances, held a grand feast in his honor on his estate. A basin, reflecting the splendors of the court, collected water that gushed from a rock at the foot of the lordly dwelling...
The peddler arrives in Semblançay. He comes from Paris where, in the mid-18th century, great minds profess new ideas without complacency towards the powerful of the kingdom. Present in their words, the philosophers echo the voices of the humblest people...
Long contained, the revolt explodes. The murmur turns into a roar, and barely born, the stream, red with the blood of the battles, carries away the clamor of a people who rise up to gain their freedom.
The grandfather finishes his story and takes his grandson Benjamin to the source, a witness to history, passions, fears, and hopes. They enter into an imaginary and magical world where characters from all eras meet those of today in a deluge of music, lights, and fire. What a show!