Upon his wife's death, viola da gamba player Monsieur de Sainte Colombe (Jean-Pierre Marielle) is overwhelmed with grief and retreats from the outside world.

The musician moves with his two daughters into a small house in his garden, where he attempts to create a haven. However, word of his musical talent reaches aspiring musician Marin Marais (Gérard Depardieu), who intrudes on Colombe's seclusion.

Alain Corneau's biopic about the relationship between pupil and reluctant mentor, the French composers Marin Marais and the extraordinary master of the viola da gamba, Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe. Many of the latter's works for the viola da gamba are as beautiful and spiritually profound as the cello suites, violin sonatas and partitas of J.S. Bach. The soundtrack is one of the finest in film history, with the bulk of the solo works performed by one of the supreme musicians of our age, the Catalan Jordi Savall. Father and son Depardieu play Marin Marais at different stages of his life, renowned stage actor Jean-Pierre Marielle is unforgettable as Sainte-Colombe ...