Part 1, Search for the Father, The Father. His Death The War. The Bombing Summary

The grandmother died. But Lucie still lives in Algiers. Lucie kisses and hugs Jacques when he comes in to the apartment. He remembers her as a sweet, cuddling mother. As they sit and talk, Lucie keeps glancing nervously towards the street. The street gets noisy. Jacques sees Lucie is still beautiful and comments that she went to the hairdresser. She replies yes, because of his visit. Lucie has a hard life doing housework and taking care of her family. Jacques wants to tell his mother she is beautiful, but he feels it crosses an invisible barrier.

Lucie worked hard as a maid, but now she is retired. She is partly deaf. She refuses to leave her apartment and neighborhood...