Claire’s Knee

Career diplomat Jérôme travels from Stockholm to Lake Annecy to sell his family vacation home. He is surprised to run into Aurora, a novelist friend staying across the lake with her companion and Laura, her teenage daughter. The unexpected reunion sets the stage for delicate tensions as past friendships and future plans collide.

Aurora notices Laura's crush on Jérôme and suggests he spend time with Laura so she can glean material for her writing. Jérôme pretends to resist, saying he is engaged to his fiancée, but agrees to participate to help his friend and observe what happens.

On a hike, Jérôme and Laura share an intimate conversation and Jérôme kisses Laura. Laura pulls away, explaining that she desires true love rather than a casual fling. The moment unsettles Jérôme as he confronts the thin line between helping a friend and yielding to temptation.

The next day, Laura explains she does not relate to her peers and hints she is attracted to older men who remind her of her deceased father. She suggests that relationships in her circle lack depth and expresses a longing for something more meaningful. Jérôme hears this with a growing sense of complication in his plan.

Claire, Laura's ex-step-sister, arrives for a visit and immediately catches Jérôme's eye with her blond beauty. He finds himself tempted by her, wondering if pursuing someone like her could be more intriguing than his usual romances. The dynamic shifts as attraction adds another layer to the lake-side drama.

Jérôme notices Claire's exposed knee when she is perched on a ladder picking cherries with her boyfriend Gilles, and he feels a rush of longing. He struggles to resist the impulse to touch, trying to keep his restraint intact. The moment foreshadows the moral tension that threads through the days ahead.

A storm forces Jérôme and Claire to seek shelter in a hut as rain pours down. He learns Gilles is not at his mother's as Claire believed, and Claire breaks down; Jérôme offers comfort, wiping away tears with a handkerchief and placing his hand on her knee. They eventually accompany her home as the weather clears.

Back with Aurora, Jérôme recounts the excursion with Claire and asserts that touching her knee helped him exorcise his desire and manage the situation. Aurora remains skeptical, worrying that Claire's future may involve someone less honorable than Jérôme. The conversation highlights the precarious balance between artistry and personal restraint.

Laura leaves Lake Annecy for a Cheltenham vacation, effectively removing a central complication for Jérôme as he navigates his feelings amid the other attractions around the lake. Her absence reduces the immediacy of the Laura–Jérôme dynamic, at least for the moment. Jérôme is left to reflect on what has happened and what might come next.

Just before Jérôme returns to Stockholm to be with his fiancée, Aurora reveals that she, too, is engaged. The revelation redefines their relationship and priorities, signaling a shift in who they expect to be with. The news lands at a moment when travel plans and feelings are already in flux.

Jérôme leaves Lake Annecy by boat to return to Stockholm, closing this chapter of his lake-side narrative. The farewell leaves Laura, Claire, and Aurora to process what happened and anticipate what comes next. The departure frames the days ahead with a sense of unresolved tension.

Gilles drives up right after Jérôme's departure, and Aurora overhears as Claire confronts him about not visiting his mother and being with Muriel. Gilles claims car problems and says he was simply consoling Muriel, leaving the truth ambiguous. The scene underscores ongoing tensions around loyalty and desire among the younger characters.