Roch Thériault (Luc Picard) presides over a bizarre commune that includes his eight wives and 26 children. A small-town social worker Paula (Polly Walker) visits the commune and, although everything on the surface seems fine, she senses desperation among the wives. Even though her department co-workers are indifferent, she investigates further and discovers a dead child, strange, ritualistic goings-on and shocking mental and physical abuse. With her job and life on the line, she is determined to free the members from Roch's tyranny. But she faces numerous obstacles. The major one is Roch's astonishing ability to manipulate people and the system, including the court appointed investigators.