One Sings, the Other Doesn’t

Pauline, a 17-year-old schoolgirl in 1962 Paris, wanders into a gallery and recognizes her old friend Suzanne. She learns that Suzanne's partner is Jerôme, though they are not married, and Suzanne is pregnant with a third child. To help Suzanne, Pauline lies to her parents and secures funds for an illegal abortion, which forces her to leave home and start working as a singer. The upheaval culminates in Jerôme's suicide and Suzanne moving back to her parents' farm.

Jerôme commits suicide amid the turmoil following the abortion money. Suzanne, now with two children and expecting a third, moves back to her parents' farm, enduring social stigma for having illegitimate children.

Pauline leaves her home, drops out of school, and begins working as a singer, seeking independence after the 1962 events. She forges a new life in France and across her travels, embracing a more self-reliant path while staying connected to Suzanne. The upheaval of 1962 marks the beginning of a long, divergent journey.

Ten years after the 1962 events, Pauline and Suzanne are reunited at a 1972 demonstration in Bobigny for abortion rights. Pauline, now known as Pomme, sings in a feminist folk group, and she and her partner Darius, a grad student she met in Amsterdam during her abortion, begin a new life together. The encounter highlights the enduring friendship between the two women as they confront shared struggles.

Ten years after their first meeting, Suzanne has moved beyond her parents' farm by teaching herself typing and opening a family planning clinic in Hyères. She becomes a pioneer in reproductive health and maintains her activist commitments. The distance between the friends remains bridged by letters and occasional meetings.

Pauline and Suzanne continue their bond across distance, keeping in touch by sending postcards. The correspondence preserves their shared history while each pursues her own path as artist and caretaker. Their friendship remains a lifeline through years of separation.

Pauline relocates to Iran, Darius's homeland, where they marry and Pauline becomes pregnant. The move marks a dramatic geographic and cultural shift as she builds a new life abroad while maintaining ties to Suzanne. The pregnancy foreshadows further complexities in her relationships.

The relationship with Darius grows strained, and Pauline returns to France, where she gives birth at Suzanne's clinic. The return reorients her life toward motherhood and music in a familiar French setting. The two women's paths continue to diverge yet remain connected.

Darius returns to Iran with their infant son, on the condition that he impregnates Pauline again. This arrangement binds the two of them in a complicated family dynamic as Pauline continues to pursue her career and motherhood. The separation between continents underscores the long reach of their choices.

While pregnant, Pauline, still called Pomme, goes back on the road as a singer, balancing motherhood and a performing life. She travels and performs to support herself and her family, reflecting her resilient spirit. The touring life becomes a throughline for her eventual reunion years later.

Suzanne endures an unfulfilling relationship with a sailor before marrying a local doctor in Hyères. Her personal life mirrors the improvisational, nontraditional paths of the women in the story. Despite the challenges, she builds a stable family life while continuing her work in reproductive health.

In a brief epilogue, Pomme and Suzanne, along with their families and friends, reunite by the sea. The gathering offers a quiet, hopeful coda to a decade and more of shared struggle, friendship, and motherhood. The scene emphasizes the enduring bond between the two women.