In a tight rural French community, life is a slog for a young woman alienated from family, work and friends, especially when she discovers she’s pregnant. Away from these harsh actualities, Claire (Lola Naymark) has a secret passion for intricate be-jewelled embroidery. In order to keep her pregnancy hidden she leaves her supermarket job and takes up an apprenticeship with a former Christian Lacroix couturier, the exotic and distinguished Madam Melikian (Ariane Ascaride), an Armenian exile who has tragically lost her son. Despite their private burdens, the two women’s shared creative drive helps to develop a close bond between them that forms the heart of the film. What first-time director Eleonore Faucher achieves is a subtle blend of tough reality with assured dramatic direction that gets to the heart of the characters and their personal sorrow.