This is the story of the Roy family of Cap Chat, a small village on the shores of the St. Laurence River in rural Quebec. The story starts with the arrival of a French soldier in 1662 then proceeds through the generations. In 1832 Louis Roy organizes the rescue of over 300 British soldiers from a ship wreck. He is rewarded by Queen Victoria herself but later his son is cursed from the pulpit by the parish priest. A series of tragic stories seems to follow the family. What can we learn from these stories?