A Christmas Tale

Henri faces bankruptcy, which threatens his status and future. Elizabeth pays off his debts, but imposes a strict rule that he must never see her again. This forced estrangement plants early resentment and foreshadows the fragile balance holding the family together.

Joseph, the deceased brother, continues to haunt the family psyche as a silent presence. The parents' attempt to replace him with another child who could donate bone marrow leaves unresolved guilt and recurring speculation. The siblings carry this memory as they navigate current tensions.

Junon is diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia and a bone marrow transplant is deemed necessary. The extended family is summoned to be tested as potential donors, turning the holiday into a tense medical procedure. Rivalries flare as Elizabeth confronts Henri, Paul wrestles with fears about his paternity, and Faunia's planned visit promises a rare moment of calm.

Henri undergoes the donor test and discovers he qualifies to donate bone marrow. He decides he wants to proceed, offering a potential lifeline for Junon. The decision elevates the stakes for the entire family and shifts the focus from big talk to concrete action.

Rosaimée visits for dinner on 23 December and brings fireworks into the evening. She tells Sylvia that Simon stopped seeing her because he believed she would be happier with Ivan. The disclosure twists Sylvia's loyalties and deepens the family’s unease.

Simon begins drinking heavily and is in trouble for public brawling. Sylvia confesses that she knows he loves her. They spend hours talking, then return to the house and have sex, complicating loyalties and stirring tensions within the family.

Paul shares his fears about his paternity with Henri, worried that Claude might not be his father. Henri reassures him that feeling afraid is not a fault, and they strengthen their bond. The moment helps Paul feel seen and begins to steady his fragile condition.

On Christmas Day, Abel reads Elizabeth the prologue to Nietzsche's On the Genealogy of Morality, prompting reflections on self-knowledge and mortality. Elizabeth voices her lifelong depression and fear, while Abel’s reading frames their struggle as a philosophical struggle to endure.

Ivan discovers that Sylvia has had sex with Simon, and his reaction is subdued, as if he had anticipated it. The episode reveals the tangled loyalties and shifting affections within the family. The revelation adds to the emotional strain of the holiday gathering.

Henri donates his bone marrow to Junon, offering a lifeline against the disease. Junon immediately voices her fear that her body might reject the transplant, injecting uncertainty into the medical hope. The moment anchors the balance between action and fate.

Elizabeth speculates that Junon may live despite the odds. In the hospital, Henri flips a coin to gauge the odds of survival, but refuses to reveal the result to his mother. The moment captures the randomness of fate and the pressure of keeping faith in the face of danger.

As the holidays draw to a close, the family remains fractured yet bound by shared history. The Roubaix home continues to be a stage for unresolved tensions and small, fragile moments of reconciliation. The future remains uncertain, with Junon’s health and the family’s loyalties hanging in the balance.