Ugolin (played by Daniel Auteuil) comes back from the war and finds himself inspired while living with his rich uncle, “Papet” (Yves Montand). He keeps his scheme under wraps until he’s ready to reveal it, then presents Papet with some meticulously grown carnations. It turns out there's a profit to be made in flowers, but they require an enormous amount of water. A lot of it. Papet realizes their grumpy neighbor might be willing to sell his land, which has a blocked-up spring. That doesn’t work out, but a chance event soon gives them reason for hope. Their plans are then complicated by the arrival of “Jean” (Gérard Depardieu), an enthusiastic young man with a hunchback, along with his wife and child. They're relatives of the deceased former owner of the farm and intend to use modern methods to succeed. While pretending to be friendly, Ugolin and Papet sabotage the Cadoret family’s water supply, leaving them at the mercy of unpredictable weather and a shaky cistern. Their farming venture seems destined for failure unless divine intervention occurs. What follows shows the Cadoret family struggling to earn money raising rabbits and growing fruits and vegetables—all during an intense heatwave—as their observant neighbors hesitate to point out that their solution lies just a few feet away. Will the deceptive scheme of the Soubeyran family succeed? There’s a wonderful cast involved, with Auteuil particularly good as the conflicted nephew who doesn't always seem entirely sane; Montand as the calculating, power-hungry manipulator; and Depardieu delivering a strong performance portraying a man sinking into despair while still holding onto some optimism—it’s truly captivating. The story is filled with earthy humor, and the small-town setting provides many of the typical portrayals of village life that are suspicious of, if not outright hostile to, newcomers. It's also quite an examination of how essential running water really is. This continues into “Manon de Source"...

Source on TMDB