Without knowing why he has come back here, to this place in a foreign country, Ulysse, still a young man, withdraws to a solitary house on the mountainside. One morning, he goes up to the spring that supplies water to his house. On the way, he discovers a clearing entirely overgrown with bramble bushes, and he thinks he might have had a garden there at one time. But why has this place been abandoned by humankind? Circling around the clearing without being able to penetrate the tangle of briars, he decides to enlist the help of an Italian from the area. Together they attack the unruly, impenetrable hedge. But soon, his Italian friend gets discouraged. Alone, Ulysse finally manages to make his way into the middle of the garden. That same evening, Ulysse hears a voice, that of a young woman. She’s warning him.