The Winemaker's Wife

Céline considers her newfound respect for Inès and her secret affair with Michel. The next time they see each other in private, Michel confesses that he had sex with Inès. Céline is hurt but recognizes the hypocrisy of the betrayal. Michel brings Céline into his resistance activities, and she assists him with collecting and storing contraband weapons. A woman named Madame Gaudin arrives to collect them and privately warns Céline against pursuing her affair with Michel. After she leaves, Céline admits to Michel that she is pregnant. Michel is overjoyed, despite the complexity of their circumstance. They vow to continue their work to create a better future for their child.

Liv considers her feelings for Julien and her guilt at kissing him. She visits the Thierrys’ brasserie and inquires about its history. The restaurant manager tells her that the brasserie was once a watering hole for German soldiers, and that the Thierrys were instrumental in delivering information for the resistance. However, their subversive actions were not immediately known, and many thought they were collaborators. He also mentions that Edith Thierry’s best friend, Inès Chauveau, was killed for being part of the resistance. Liv returns to her hotel and finds her grandmother drinking Chauveau wine, but Grandma Edith avoids Liv’s questions about it. Instead, she tells Liv that Julien’s wife has been dead for six years. Liv realizes she misunderstood and leaves Julien a voicemail apology. Finally, Grandma Edith announces that they’ll be going on a guided tour of Maison Chauveau.

Inès tries to repair her marriage and hopes Antoine will just forget about her. However, Edith comes to visit one day, saying that Antoine is asking about her. Inès agrees to a meeting. On their way out, Edith congratulates Céline on her pregnancy. Edith and Inès discuss Inès’s hesitancy around Céline, and her feelings of displacement at Maison Chauveau.

At the brasserie, Inès tells Antoine she can’t see him anymore. He reacts by threatening her with his German connections before storming away. Ashamed, Inès drinks alone until Edith reappears and tells her they have other visitors staying with them. Edith introduces Inès to two Jewish refugees, the siblings Samuel and Rachel Cohn. Inès offers to house them in the Chauveau wine cellars, but Edith is cautious about trusting her.

While Inès is away, Céline and Michel discuss their new baby. Theo believes the baby is his. Michel tells Céline that he’ll be away the whole night on a secret mission, causing problems for German authorities. After Michel leaves, Inès arrives and questions Céline about his absence; she claims he’s visiting with another winemaker. Inès leads Céline to Edith’s car and reveals the two refugees. Céline takes them to a secret cave below the house and helps them settle in. Edith leaves, and Céline reconsiders what she knows of Inès.

Liv and Grandma Edith visit Maison Chauveau, where Grandma Edith becomes disoriented and emotional. While there, Liv receives a call from Julien and apologizes for her misunderstanding; they arrange for him to come join them at the winery.

When Michel returns home, Inès tells him about the refugees. Samuel Cohn promises to repay their kindness once he has received his degree to become a lawyer. He tells Inès about the true state of the German work camps, dissolving the lies she had been told by Antoine. He relates a story in which a French policeman died by suicide rather than arrest a young Jewish girl; his death gave the girl time to get away.

For several days, Inès, Michel, and Céline keep the Cohn siblings hidden from Theo until Michel can secure their passage out. After they leave, Michel tells Inès about a secret network in which he has contacts. Inès wants to help more people, but Michel believes it’s too dangerous to risk Theo becoming involved.

While Inès and Theo are both away, Michel and Céline discuss the possibility of becoming involved with the refugee escape line. When Céline brings up the idea with Theo, Theo adamantly opposes it and says the best way to survive is to stay out of the way.

Soon after, Céline is helping in the wine caves with Inès. Inès expresses concern over Céline’s advanced pregnancy, but Céline deflects and says the baby should know about wine. She realizes she was unconsciously thinking that her child would inherit Maison Chauveau. As they go outside, they meet Captain Richter and Herr Klaebisch, the wine inspector. Klaebisch goes to the caves while Richter stays outside with Céline. He tries to make Inès leave, but she refuses. Richter offers his protection to Céline and her baby in exchange for his friendship. That evening, he returns and forces Céline into the cellars where he attempts to assault her. However, Inès arrives, having seen them out her window, and hits him with a wine bottle.

Liv, Grandma Edith, and Julien begin their tour of Maison Chauveau. The tour guide recounts the house’s history, and when he mentions Michel, Grandma Edith becomes visibly upset. The tour group goes into the wine caves, and the guide tells them about the winemaking process. They reach the hidden cave where the Cohns were hidden, and Grandma Edith interjects to say that Michel was killed after an intimate betrayal. She leaves and goes deeper into the caves; Liv wants to follow, but Julien encourages her to leave Grandma Edith to herself. They go outside, and Liv becomes frustrated at Julien’s reticence to share Grandma Edith’s story. They begin kissing, and Grandma Edith arrives to collect Liv.

Inès and Céline wait with Richter’s unconscious body for Michel and Theo to arrive home. They descend into the caves, and Inès explains the situation; Michel knows that Richter can’t be allowed to survive. Inès cares for Céline while Michel and Theo kill Richter and dispose of his body. Afterward, Michel and Inès clean away any evidence of their crime. For several days, the household waits in fear of discovery; however, it appears Richter didn’t tell anyone he was going to Maison Chauveau, so no one comes looking for him.

One night, Inès wakes to find Michel missing. She goes downstairs and discovers him with Céline, revealing their affair. Now Inès realizes that Céline’s child is Michel’s. Heartbroken, she goes to see Edith. However, Edith is preoccupied with listening to an important conversation; she sends Inès away until she is finished. Feeling rejected, Inès goes to see Antoine. She lets herself in and drinks all the alcohol she finds. When Antoine arrives home, he finds Inès desperate and drunk.

In the morning, Antoine reveals that Inès confessed their crime against Richter and rapes her.