To overcome famine in his village of Saint-Élie-de-Caxton, Ésimésac decides to create a community garden. At the same time, there’s talk of a new railway line that will connect Saint-Élie to the rest of the world, bringing with it the hope of an easier life. Riopel, the hulking blacksmith, gets involved in the manufacture of railway track and convinces the locals to invest in that, rather than in the garden. Soon, those who had tried gardening switch to the blacksmith’s side. Ésimésac’s project flounders under the weight of metal.