On a cold winter night in 1969, Mr. Bourgeois, Isabelle’s father died. Isabelle, Frances and their mother are with him. In his last words, with tears in his eyes, he asks for forgiveness from Isabelle who forgives him before he breathes his last.
Isabelle faces a hard time coping with her childhood experiences. The physical and mental abuses she experienced now haunt her.
She doesn’t tell anybody about her feelings. She now eats more because of her emotional state and she starts gaining weight.
Lucas is now thirty and he is in full control of the farm. He feels that the farm is not yielding enough profit, so he then discusses with his father to sell all the livestock.
Lucas now engages in hurling logs to Domtar in Cornwall. He buys timber from people’s land and cuts down the tree. Though he is not happy with the job, but he must survive. He derives joy only when he is with his wife and children.
Lucas’s father cannot work again because his health has deteriorated. Isabelle enjoys the assistance of her mother-in-law to care for the children as she is still working at the shoe company.
Steve, Lucas’s friend, is home to see his parents and he calls on him one autumn day. Lucas is happy to see his friend again since their wedding day. Steve is however surprised that there are no cattle in the fields.
The two friends greet and exchange pleasantries. Steve asks Lucas how he is enjoying marital life. Lucas replies that it’s great and says Isabelle is a wonderful wife and they have five children already.
He tells him that they named their third son after him. He then invites him inside to introduce them to him. He asks after Lucas’s parents and he says his mom is fine but his father can no longer work because of his health.
Elizabeth embraces Steve as he enters the house. She expresses her happiness to see Steve again. Steve cannot believe his eyes when he sees John, fragile sitting on a chair. He is connected to an oxygen tank and Steve walks towards him to greet him.
John greets him and asks for his welfare in the Air Force in Alberta. He replies that he is fine and that he just bought a 1966 Beechcraft C23 Musketeer four-seat airplane from a friend. He tells John that it is his dream come true.
Lucas is happy with his friend’s achievement but reminds him of his ambition of becoming a certified mechanic.
Isabelle also welcomes Steve and the latter comments that Lucas is very lucky to have her as a wife.
Lucas calls the children to the kitchen to meet Steve. He expresses his excitement to see the children, especially Steve, his namesake. The children are also delighted to see their father’s friend.
Isabelle prepares coffee and milk for the adults and the children respectively. She takes the children to their room after taking their snacks. They hug their daddy and greet Steve good night. John and Elizabeth also depart their room.
Lucas brings a can of beer each for the two of them. He tells Steve about his sojourn in Uxbridge and how he came back because of his father.
Steve doesn’t want to understand why Lucas sacrificed his life for his father. He says James is there to handle farming and Lucas is knowledgeable about engines, so should be a mechanic.
Lucas then explains to Steve that he loves being a mechanic but sacrificed it to help his father a few years back. He says they abandoned farming because they were not making enough money.
He is now into logging trees to Domtar in Cornwall. He explains further that James gave up farming to move to the city because his children need better care.
Steve comments that Lucas is gentle, strong and good-hearted. Lucas asks Steve to tell him about his airplane and the Air Force.
Steve replies that he is now a lieutenant and he teaches the troops how to control the aircraft before they can register to fly planes.
He says he doesn’t have time for social life and has bought his own plane. He loves flying planes and he promises Lucas to fly him in his plane. Lucas shows his interest in flying with Steve on his plane.
Isabelle joins them and she is happy with the interaction of the two friends. Lucas happily tells Isabelle that Steve will give him a ride on his plane one day.
In response to Isabelle’s question, Steve tells her about the freedom he feels whenever he is up in the air. He checks his wristwatch and tells Lucas and Isabelle that he wants to leave.
Steve says he has to catch the first flight in the morning to Alberta. They accompany him to the side door and Lucas shows his gratitude for the visit.
Steve also says he is excited to meet his family, and says Lucas is a marvelous father. He hopes to get married one day and settle down with his family. He reminds Lucas how he always encouraged him when they were teenagers.
Lucas urges him to bring his plane when next he is coming and that he can land in Alexandria. He responds that he will do that and promises Lucas and Isabelle a joyride in the sky.
Lucas and Isabelle watch Steve leave and Lucas hopes Steve meets someone like Isabelle to marry. Steve has his dream job, while Lucas doesn’t but has a wonderful family.
Three months after Steve’s departure, Lucas returns home to his family after the day’s work.
As he sits down with his children to watch television, the phone rings and Lucas’s mother picks it. She then realizes that the call is for Lucas and she gives the phone to him.
The unfamiliar voice at the other end identifies himself as Colonel Howard Smith, from the Air Force. He breaks the news of the death of Steve to Lucas.
He explains further that his plane malfunctioned while flying it and lost altitude hence, it crashed onto the top of a mountain.
Steve has indicated in his file that Lucas is to be notified if anything happens to him. And that Lucas should be in charge of his funeral. The man tells Lucas that Steve’s parents are already aware and he asks him if he will be able to perform the assignment.
Lucas receives the news with shock and tries to hold himself together. He tells the Colonel that they are like brothers and agrees to carry it out. He asks Colonel Smith who will inform him when the body arrives and the Colonel offers to do that for him.
The funeral is already arranged at the Alexandria Funeral Home, and the body returns to Alexandria the following week.
Lucas appreciates Colonel Smith for the kind gestures. The latter urges him to accept his condolences and take care of himself and bids him goodbye.
Lucas is in grief and demoralized. He doesn’t know how to break the news to Isabelle and the children who celebrated Steve a few months ago.
When Lucas joins Isabelle and the children in the living room, Isabelle knows that Lucas just received bad news.
She can tell from his countenance and asks him what happened. Lucas tells her that Steve died in a plane crash the previous day.
He walks towards Isabelle weeping. Isabelle holds him tightly and tries to appease him. Lucas expresses how much he feels the death of Steve in his body.
Elizabeth comes from her room worried and asks Isabelle what is wrong with Lucas. Isabelle responds that the call Lucas received was from the Air Force and that Steve was killed in an airplane accident.
Elizabeth could not believe it and wept for the loss. Lucas hugs her and expresses how he feels about Steve’s death.
Elizabeth leaves to break the news to John, while Lucas sits beside Isabelle and breaks the news to the children. Lucas reminisces on their interactions when they were young. He remembers how he dealt with Kris the bully at the hotel some years back.
Lucas makes the arrangements for Steve’s funeral. He composes a eulogy he reads at his funeral. He talks about the bravery of Steve and how lucky he is to have known him.
A month later, Darcy, Mary’s child, is killed by a car while taking a cow across the road. He was rushed to the hospital but died before they reached the hospital.
Mary is highly devastated and it has effects on her marriage because Joe drinks more and is abusive towards Mary.
John and Elizabeth are grieved by losing their grandson and the resultant effects on Mary. They advised her to leave Joe, but she refused.
Lucas remembers his earlier fears that things would change for the worse. The prophecy has come to pass. He thereby determines to do everything possible to make things better for his family.
Lucas tries to heal the wounds. He offers to assist Mary as she continues living with her unserious husband. He sees the pain in his parents and he is even hurt but should not show it.
He also tries to keep Isabelle away from feeling the hurt of her past but becomes worse when her father dies. Lucas always takes her out for enjoyment to make her feel the love he has for her, but it doesn’t work.