The movie tells the story of the farming family Van de Velde, in the aftermath of the First World War. The farmer and his son, who have fought in the trenches of the Yser, are still missing in 1919, and the mother has died, so the eldest daughter Coralie runs the farm now on her own. She has welcomed 25 orphans during the war, but the Child Welfare Commission wants to put them in an orphanage. And some local notables with a sneaky plan want to take possession of the farm. But Coralie and the orphans fight back....