I knew this young man and this beautiful boy, I knew his story, because he also had a story, just as each of us has his own - and anyone could arouse interest in the romance of his life if he understood it.

Although he was a farmer, a simple peasant, Germain was aware of his duties and his passions. He had told them to me simply, clearly, and I had listened to him with interest.

After I sat and watched him plow for quite some time, I wondered why his story shouldn't be written, even though it was a story just as simple, just as straight, and just as unadorned as the furrow he was carving with his plow.

[Excerpt from the text on the back cover of the edition]