Character Relationship Map: Happiness

Characters

• François Chevalier (played by Jean-Claude Drouot) — protagonist

  A handsome young joiner living a comfortable life in Fontenay-aux-Roses with his wife Thérèse and two young children. He falls in love with Émilie, confesses his dual happiness to Thérèse, and after h...

• Thérèse Chevalier (played by Claire Drouot) — protagonist

  François's pretty wife and a dressmaker, mother to Gisou and Pierrot. During a picnic, she learns of her husband's affair, initially accepts it, and shares intimacy with him before suddenly leaving an...

• Pierrot Chevalier (played by Olivier Drouot) — supporting

  One of François and Thérèse's two young children. He enjoys family outings to the woods outside town and loses his mother after Thérèse's suicide. Émilie later assumes a maternal role in his life.

• Gisou Chevalier (played by Sandrine Drouot) — supporting

  One of François and Thérèse's two young children. She participates in family outings to the woods and is left without a mother following Thérèse's death, later cared for by Émilie.

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Pierrot Chevalier → Gisou Chevalier (Family Sibling) — They are siblings who share family outings and the loss of their mother.

  The plot identifies Pierrot and Gisou as François and Thérèse's two young children.

• Thérèse Chevalier → Pierrot Chevalier (Family Mother) — Thérèse is Pierrot's mother; her death leaves him without her care.

  Pierrot is identified as one of Thérèse's two young children.

• Thérèse Chevalier → Gisou Chevalier (Family Mother) — Thérèse is Gisou's mother; her death leaves her without her care.

  Gisou is identified as one of Thérèse's two young children.

• François Chevalier → Pierrot Chevalier (Family Father) — François is Pierrot's father and continues raising him after Thérèse's death.

  The plot describes Pierrot as one of François and Thérèse's two young children.

• François Chevalier → Gisou Chevalier (Family Father) — François is Gisou's father and continues raising her after Thérèse's death.

  The plot describes Gisou as one of François and Thérèse's two young children.

• François Chevalier → Thérèse Chevalier (Family Husband) — They are married and initially share a happy domestic life.

  The plot identifies Thérèse as François's wife and describes their comfortable family life together.

Story Analysis

François's pursuit of a second love disrupts his family, followed by tragedy and the establishment of a new household routine.

Plot Progression

1. A Contented Household — François lives with his wife, Thérèse, and their two young children in Fontenay-aux-Roses. Their comfortable life includes shared outings to the woods.
2. A Second Love — During the summer, François falls in love with another woman while remaining devoted to his family. The change in his feelings comes to the surface during a family picnic.
3. The Picnic Confession — Thérèse asks François why he seems unusually happy, and he tells her about his new love. Though initially upset, she claims to accept his explanation and is intimate with him.
4. The Lake's Tragedy — François falls asleep and wakes to find Thérèse missing. His search ends when he discovers her drowned body at a nearby lake.
5. A Family Reconstituted — After the funeral and a family vacation in the Loire, François returns home and seeks out his new love. She moves into the household and cares for the children, and by fall the family routine resumes.