A picture of the Gaspé Peninsula in the mid-1940s, the film traces the history of the first French settlers and goes on to show how the country, with its four fine rivers, is an ideal lumbering region. The ancient craft of shipbuilding vies with codfishing in importance, while the French habitant retains possession of the fertile land. In French Canada the parish is the fundamental social unit, the church a symbol of strength, guidance, and spiritual direction. The film is accompanied by early French-Canadian folk songs.