Violette LeDuc is one of the foremost French writers of the twentieth century. In a beautifully mounted production, director Martin Provost depicts LeDuc's extraordinary life, from her low beginnings as the illegitimate daughter of a servant girl to becoming ensconced in France's literary elite. Violette LeDuc is determined, obsessed even, to make something of her life. Writing is her ticket out of misery, and with the encouragement and mentorship of Simone de Beauvoir, she achieves renown.