Belle and Sebastian

Sebastian, whose mother died on the day he was born, lives with César, the patriarch of the mountains, along with Angelina and Jean, César's grandchildren. Wild and freedom-loving, the boy dreams of a large dog, terrified by its confinement in a kennel, that has escaped. The whole village fears the enormous animal. Only César understands the boy, and together they decide to set out in search of the dog.

Angelina is in love with the doctor, Guillaume, who comes to join her at the chalet while César takes Sebastian to the Grand Baou refuge. There, the old man tells the child that he was born there and how his mother died giving birth to him. Seeing the growing concern in the village about the large stray dog, Guillaume confides his worries to César. One morning, starving, Belle comes down to the village, spreading fear among the villagers, who decide to organize a hunt. Two men from the village ask César to join them in tracking the beast. The old man promises to take up his rifle, but not against the large stray dog, against the men who are hunting it.

Sebastian sets off into the mountains in search of Belle. He finally finds her. Exhausted but happy, the boy returns late to the chalet, telling César about his encounter. In the village, the men organize the hunt. Guillaume tries to reason with them, but in vain. Arriving near the Grand Baou refuge, the village men are stopped by César, who invites them to follow him. They are astonished to discover Sebastian playing with Belle. From then on, Belle becomes Sebastian's friend, and they are inseparable. In the village, people are still a little frightened by this large white animal. So, when the mayor suggests returning Belle to the kennel, Sebastian firmly opposes it.

Norbert, a foreigner who came to the dam near the village looking for work, is staying with César. At the chalet, no one welcomes the newcomer except Jean. Jean falls under Norbert's bad influence, as he doesn't hesitate to get him drunk to extract information about the family. Jean confides in César about Norbert's plan: to train Belle to be a good guide dog for tourists. César warns Jean about Norbert. Taking advantage of César's departure to hunt in the mountains, Norbert tries to seduce Angelina, who violently rejects him. He then leaves to catch the train to Castellane to retrieve a suitcase he supposedly left with his former boss.

Norbert walks down towards the valley. A car is waiting for him on the road. Sebastian, leaning on Belle, watches in surprise as the car drives away. Norbert lied: he did indeed go to Castellane, but to meet up with a gang of criminals he belongs to. Together, they devised a plan to illegally transport goods to the Italian border. Back at the chalet, Norbert announces to everyone that he will leave after Christmas. Sebastian confides in César that he saw Norbert get into a car and, that evening, get out with a suitcase. But they are far from suspecting that the suitcase contains a radio transmitter... César knows that Norbert and Jean are training Belle to go as far as the Grand Baou refuge. This worries him, and he keeps an eye on them. But he is not the only one: these comings and goings so close to the border have alerted the customs officers.

Why does Norbert make the trip from the chalet to the abandoned mountain cabin so often? Belle follows him obediently. Sebastian, like his dog, seems to sense danger. Norbert then decides to accelerate Belle's training...