One Sings, the Other Doesn’t (1977) Plot Summary Explained

Pauline left home after she lied to her parents about a school trip to secure money for Suzanne's illegal abortion. When her parents discovered what the money was actually used for, they were furious, and Pauline chose to leave rather than face the consequences. She dropped out of school and began working as a singer, adopting the stage name Pomme.

• paulines departure
• abortion money
• leaving home
• pome singer

Jerôme committed suicide in the turmoil following the illegal abortion. As Suzanne's partner who she was not married to, the entire situation, Suzanne's unwanted pregnancy, the money crisis, and the secret abortion, created overwhelming stress and personal crisis for him, leading to his decision to take his own life.

• jerome suicide
• suzanne partner
• abortion aftermath

After Jerôme's suicide, Suzanne found herself pregnant with her third child and now with two children and no partner. She moved back to her parents' farm because she had no other support system. Her parents looked down on her for having illegitimate children, but she had nowhere else to go during this difficult time.

• suzanne farm
• illegitimate children
• single mother

Pauline and Suzanne reunited ten years later at a 1972 demonstration in Bobigny for abortion rights. By then, Pauline had become Pomme, singing in a feminist folk group. Suzanne had left her parents' farm by teaching herself typing and opened a family planning clinic in Hyères. The demonstration brought together their shared activism.

Foreshadowing: The 1962 illegal abortion directly connects to their later involvement in the abortion rights movement.

• bobigny demo
• abortion rights
• reunion 1972
• feminist movement

Pomme moved to Iran because it was Darius's native country. They married there, and Pomme became pregnant. The move represented a dramatic geographic and cultural shift as she built a new life abroad while maintaining her connection to Suzanne through letters.

• pomme iran
• darius
• married iran

Pomme's relationship with Darius became strained while they were in Iran. She left Darius and returned to France, where she gave birth to their baby at Suzanne's clinic in Hyères. The strain in their marriage prompted her to seek a new life back in France with her support network.

• pomme leaves darius
• return france
• baby suzanne clinic

Before Darius returned to Iran with their infant son, Pomme allowed him to take their child on the condition that he impregnate her again. This unusual arrangement meant Pomme would have another child to keep with her while Darius returned to Iran alone with their son.

• darius son iran
• second pregnancy
• custody arrangement

Suzanne had an unfulfilling relationship with a sailor before eventually marrying a local doctor in Hyères. Like Pomme, Suzanne also followed a nontraditional path, but eventually chose the stability of marriage to a doctor, settling into conventional family life while continuing her work at the family planning clinic.

• suzanne marriage
• doctor hyeres
• sailor relationship

Pomme goes back on the road as a singer while pregnant because touring is her primary means of supporting herself and her family. Her identity as a performer is central to who she is, and she balances motherhood with her career, traveling and performing throughout her pregnancy.

• pomme singer pregnant
• touring while pregnant
• feminist folk singer

Suzanne had two children with Jerôme before the events of 1962, and she was expecting a third when she had the illegal abortion. After Jerôme's suicide and her move to her parents' farm, she raised her children there while facing social stigma for having illegitimate children. Their later lives are not detailed in the film.

• suzanne children
• jerome children
• illegitimate

After their reunion in 1972, Pomme and Suzanne maintain their bond by sending each other postcards. Despite living in different places, Pomme traveling and eventually moving to Iran, their friendship remains a lifeline through years of separation, with their correspondence preserving their shared history.

• postcards
• long distance friendship
• pomme suzanne letters

The title refers to the two main characters' contrasting paths. Pauline becomes Pomme, a singer who performs folk music as part of the feminist movement, while Suzanne dedicates herself to practical community work running a family planning clinic. Their identities represent complementary yet different expressions of womanhood and activism.

Foreshadowing: Pauline's early decision to become a singer sets up the title's meaning.

• title meaning
• pomme singer
• suzanne clinic
• contrasting paths