More than anything, forty year old Maud wants a child of her own. It is such an overwhelmingly strong feeling that it takes over every aspect of her existence. To get her life back into perspective and to help her confront her grief, she forces herself to watch happy families picking up their kids from school. On her way home she feels a little better and starts flirting with a man on a bicycle who is waiting at the other side of an open canal bridge. But as the bridge closes, she suddenly sees his little boy sitting in the child seat of his bike. As they pass each other on the bridge they exchange looks; his exploring, hers confused. At that precise moment a speeding car ploughs into his bike throwing the little boy out of the child seat and into the murky waters of the canal.