Oorlog en vrede 1914

Summary

In "1914" we are introduced to three families, two in a big city, one in the country. The De Roquevilles are well-to-do people living an extravagant life. The other city dwellers are the family of Jean Laurent, a retired soldier, who spends his small pension on drink and who maltreats his wife and children. In both cases the children are the victims of the sins of their fathers. Thanks to the spirit of Pauline Laurent, her daughter Ninette is able to escape from her dismal life at home and become an actress.

The third family is that of the farmer Godard, whose daughter Anny goes to the city to earn her living in the Roqueville Steel-Works, where she meets Mario Laurent, employed there as a draughtsman. Anny and Mario fall in love. Gaston de Roqueville, who has inherited his father's craving for excitement and amusement, also courts Anny. In order to win her, he tries to make Mario a drunkard like his father and in this he succeeds. Anny is shocked by the falseness she encounters in the city. When she sees what has become of her fiancé Mario, a weakling, she ends their engagement.

Then comes August 1914 and the outbreak of war. Mario joins the army in order to atone for his misdeeds. Like all drunkards he cannot control himself. When he sees his former fiancée being accosted by Gaston, he takes his rifle and fires at him. For this deed he is sent to prison. Anny returns to her village. There she wanders through the battle fields and sees the dead, good and bad, who with the same readiness have sacrificed their lives for their native country. To be continued next week...