We are in Paris at the end of the 1950s. Saffie, the mysterious and beautiful German woman with watery green eyes, becomes the wife of the famous flautist Raphaël Lepage, who is deeply in love with her from the very first moment. Despite marrying and becoming a mother, Saffie remains unchanged: nothing seems to lighten her withdrawn and sorrowful face, or to brighten her eyes that have seen too much—have seen everything. This only changes on the day she meets Raphaël's violin maker, a Hungarian Jew named Andràs. Torn between his past and his unexpected passion for this German woman, he tries to come to terms with their past—and to teach her the same. This moving story of love and music, evoking the memories, hopes, and crimes of our time, received the prestigious Grand Prix des Lectrices de Elle in 1999.