A small-town butcher's daughter, Mélanie, aged about ten, seems to have a special gift for the piano. She takes the Conservatory entrance exam, but fails after being distracted by the thoughtless behaviour of the chairwoman of the jury, a well known concert pianist. Bitterly disappointed, Mélanie gives up the piano. Some ten years later, while working as an intern with a law firm, Mélanie meets Monsieur Fouchécourt, the husband of the woman who changed her life without a doubt. Mélanie's efficiency and devotion are quickly noticed and Monsieur Fouchécourt recruits her into his home to look after his son. Madame Fouchécourt soon warms to Mélanie when her musical sensitivity comes out, and the young woman becomes her page turner...