Olivia

Olivia, an English teenager, arrives at a finishing school in France in the late 19th century, seeking escape from her restrictive English boarding experience. She quickly finds the campus more open and welcoming than her prior school, contrasting with her memories. The new environment sets the emotional tone for her developing feelings and the story to come.

Within the school, pupils organize into two camps around Mlle Julie and Mlle Cara. The growing factionalism highlights jealousy and rivalry that will drive later actions. This division foreshadows the love triangle and the power struggles between the two leaders.

Mlle Cara shows Olivia a photo album tracing the school's history. When Olivia admires a girl in the pictures, Laura, Cara grows angry and withdrawn. A pupil explains that Laura used to be Mlle Julie's favorite pupil, intensifying the sense of shifting loyalties.

Olivia attends a moment when Mlle Julie reads Andromaque, and she begins to fall in love with her. The moment seeds a forbidden attraction that will drive much of the plot. The quiet classroom scene becomes a seed of tension between teacher and pupil.

Mlle Julie takes Olivia to Paris for a day trip, expanding Olivia's infatuation as they move beyond the school walls. Olivia's feelings deepen as the city offers new possibilities. The outing marks a turning point in their relationship.

Laura arrives at the school and quickly becomes Olivia's friend. Olivia asks if Laura is in love with Mlle Julie and Laura answers that she loves Julie, but is not in love with her. The exchange adds a new layer to the love triangle and tests Olivia's feelings.

Mlle Cara voices jealousy toward both Olivia and Laura, accusing Mlle Julie of not loving her back. The tension between the three students grows clearer as rivalries sharpen into envy. Cara's manipulative energy foreshadows the conflicts to come.

One night, as she passes Olivia's room, Mlle Julie kisses Olivia on the eyes and tells her to go to sleep. Olivia responds by kissing Julie's hands and accepting the gesture as harmless affection. The moment deepens their complicated dynamic without resolution.

Around Christmas time, Laura leaves again, confessing to Olivia that she cannot bear Mlle Cara's jealousy and warning Olivia to watch out. Directly after, Olivia goes to Mlle Julie and confesses that she loves her. The Christmas season heightens the emotional stakes for everyone involved.

At the Christmas ball, Mlle Julie kisses another pupil on the neck in front of Olivia, and later promises to join Olivia in her room that night to give her bonbons. She does not come, leaving Olivia deeply disappointed and crying by the fire. The moment exposes the fragility of trust and the intensity of Olivia's feelings.

Olivia cries herself to sleep in Julie's room, unaware of the mounting tensions elsewhere, and Mlle Cara discovers her. Cara attacks Olivia in a fit of rage, calling her a disappointment. Julie arrives to witness the aftermath, and the conflict escalates before she can intervene.

After the confrontation, Mlle Julie announces that she will leave the school, handing its care to Mlle Cara. The decision signals a major shift for the school and for Olivia's future. The future of the students becomes uncertain as Julie prepares to depart.

On the night before she is to leave, Mlle Julie enters Olivia's room and confesses that she loves her. She leaves, only to return and scream for help because Mlle Cara has died from an overdose of chloral. Julie is heartbroken, declaring that Cara was the only person she truly loved.

Olivia departs the school by carriage, suggesting that Julie may also depart and that a new chapter lies beyond the campus. The final image hints at a possible new beginning while preserving ambiguity about what comes next. The story closes with Olivia moving forward into an uncertain future.