In the mid-fifties, a frantic Angelle abandons her young daughter, Evangeline, leaving her in a decaying shack with an alcoholic and abusive father. The broken-hearted and neglected girl becomes resourceful, learning to survive on her own in the perilous swamps and bayous of Southwest Louisiana.
School provides a refuge where Evangeline displays a keen sense for learning. It is also the place where she meets Jean-Baptiste, the boy she dreams of...