Saint Lawrence, the tricolor horizon 
Nearly five centuries after Jacques Cartier’s first visit, despite a history shaken by political crises and the assaults of the climate, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence still proudly displays its French roots, in a region that is largely dominated by English and American culture.
These archipelagos are the only territories in North America where French is the official language – except for the French West Indies. Moreover, France’s influence extends over the whole region. It does not end at the borders of the province – as if to attest to the fact that the first to cross the North Atlantic and explore this new world was a Frenchman.
By retracing Jacques Cartier’s travels, this documentary leads us to discover the people who keep this heritage alive. It is solidly attached to a strong mooring: the French language.

A winter on the Saint-Lawrence river
Following the course taken by Jacques Cartier on his second journey, when he sailed up the Saint Lawrence River to the current site of the city of Montreal. Carter could go no further. This journey takes us into the cold heart of a Canadian winter, nearly 500 years after the first Frenchman wintered over on the territory. This sojourn is an opportunity to become acquainted with people who make coldness an asset, instead of an affront. Seeing them combine cold and good cheer, we discover part of the essence of Canadian identity. The roots of these people are deep, and they are nourished by the ice. The glacial setting of a Quebec winter is sometimes grandiose and reassuring, sometimes tormented and disturbing.