All This, and Heaven Too

Deluzy-Desportes starts teaching at an American girls' school, marking a new chapter in her life. The position places her in a public, cross-cultural setting that will intersect with upper-class Parisian society. This assignment frames the narrative that follows.

Deluzy-Desportes is confronted by tales and gossip circulating among the pupils. Provoked by these rumors, she decides to tell them her life story, turning the school into an unintended audience for her personal history. The frame narrative sets up the movie's retrospective approach.

In Paris, she becomes the governess to the four children of the Duc and Duchesse de Praslin during the last years of the Orleans monarchy. Her warmth then begins to win the affection of the children and separately, the father. The Duchess's erratic temper foreshadows the fragile balance in the household.

Deluzy-Desportes captures the love and trust of the children and the Duc with her warmth and kindness. She becomes a beloved presence in the household, even as the Duchess grows resentful. The family dynamics become a flashpoint for looming tragedy.

The Duchess refuses to give Henriette a letter of recommendation to future employers, effectively trying to block her from leaving the household. This act emphasizes the Duchess's control and the precariousness of Henriette's position. The power imbalance fuels tension within the domestic sphere.

The Duchess invents alternative letters taking opposite attitudes, which, in fact, she has not written and does not intend to write. The deception weaponizes handwriting and authority against Henriette. The false documents escalate the conflict to a breaking point.

At the breaking point, the Duke kills the Duchess, a crime that stems from a tangled mix of love, jealousy, and fear of scandal. The murder is set within the ducal residence and shatters the protective veneer of the family. The act becomes the pivot that will determine Henriette's fate.

The Duke refuses to confess his guilt or openly admit his love for Henriette, knowing that such an admission could condemn her. To avoid public blame, he consumes poison, a final act that also preserves her reputation in theory. He survives long enough to reveal his truth to a servant named Pierre.

Pierre, a kindly old servant who warned Henriette to leave, learns of the Duke's confession and helps ensure there is no solid evidence that Henriette solicited the murder. With no evidence to charge her, the authorities release Deluzy-Desportes from confinement. The case effectively clears her of responsibility in the Duchess's death.

Following the lack of evidence, Henriette is released from the Conciergerie and freed from legal jeopardy. The judicial system recognizes that there is no basis to convict her. The events shift from personal tragedy to a new, uncertain future.

An American minister, Rev. Henry Field, had recommended Henriette for a teaching position in the United States, offering a path to a fresh start. Field had heard her distress and loss of faith while she was imprisoned, and his support signals a potential new life. The narrative now points toward the country she will come to call the land of the free.

Field returns to propose marriage to Henriette, indicating his ongoing care and interest. The story implies that Henriette will accept his proposal, offering a hopeful ending. The frame closes with the promise of a new life beyond the tragedy she endured.