Jeanne and Jean are happy newlyweds in a rural village in Medieval France. Their idyll is promptly shattered when Jeanne, on her wedding night, is raped in a ritual deflowering by the local baron and his courtiers. She returns to Jean terrified and in pain, and he calms her, saying, "Let us forget everything in the past". That night, Jeanne begins to see visions of a phallic-headed spirit who promises her power. As a result, the couple's fortunes rise even as famine strikes the village and the baron raises taxes to fund his war effort. Jean is made tax collector, and the baron cuts off his hand as punishment when he cannot extract enough money from the village. The spirit visits once again... |