Plot Summary

Pecheur d'Islande undoubtedly suffered from its considerable success, and we don't read much of this love story that made our grandmothers cry so much. Loti's masterpiece nevertheless harbors many qualities. With a skilful, carefully balanced construction, a sober style, at the limit of purity ("La mer, la mer grise"), chiseled sentences, polished like pebbles, Loti accomplishes a true work of artist and painter. to evoke those white horizons, immensely empty, which tear the sky of Iceland. Iridescent polar lights, pale mists, suns without heat, impassive and cruel, respond to the torments of the heart, announce loves broken by death, the weddings of the sailor and the sea. Scrupulous craftsman, Loti finds here the path of a poetry both simple and deep, where his singing blossoms in all its fullness. --Scarbo The Marie, sails towards Iceland taking on board the Breton fishermen who are called the "Islanders". However, the North Sea is dangerous, and each year, some crew members do not return. After living in Paris, Gaud, a beautiful and gentle young woman, returns to live in Brittany. She then falls head over heels in love with Yann, sailor on La Marie. But he only loves the sea.