1850, Saint-Pierre, a forgotten small island near Canada.<br /><br />Neel Auguste is found guilty and condemned to death.<br /><br />But, in Saint-Pierre there is neither guillotine nor executioner to carry out the sentence.<br /><br />While waiting for a guillotine to arrive from France, Neel (Emir Kusturica), is placed under the custody of captain(Daniel Auteuil), and his wife, Madame La (Juliette Binoche).<br /><br />She is particularly interested in Neel in whom she sees only goodness and simplicity.<br /><br />Little by little the condemned man becomes indispensable and his popularity soars.<br /><br />Buit when the guillotine arrives by boat, justice must be done and the battle to save Neels life escalates.