The film tells us a true story about a young man from Southern France who leaves his village to fight in the Wars of Religion in the 16th century. He comes back to his village and family eight years after he left – now a different man.
Nobody notices the changes in him after many years until one day a vagrant claims to recognize him and says that he is not the real Martin Guerre. His family had to consider the possibility that he may not be really Martin Guerre. Eventually the question goes to court. The film was remade in English, and updated to the Reconstruction, in 1993 as Sommersby, starring Richard Gere and Jodie Foster. See this original instead of the imitation. The film story flows well and the cinematography is great.