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Résumé :
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A young woman with no news from her former lover for several weeks decides to set out on his trail across Siberia. Gyl had moved to Irkoutsk to follow his dream of founding an ideal town. In the far reaches of Siberia, the opportunities to work on such a project are many, and he begins his quest starting with the local children, for whom he makes kites. At first Gyl writes frequently, but then the letters suddenly stop. Concerned, Anne leaves Paris and her old-lady friend from the apartment one floor below, Clémence, to seek an answer to Gyl's silence. Clémence is a retired hat-maker in the high-fashion industry. Anne has befriended her and comes down to read to her frequently, usually from the writings of her favorite strong female historical figures such as Olympe de Gouges, the author of the Declaration of the Rights of the Woman and of the Female Citizen. Now Clémence has trouble remembering Anne's last visit. The only thing she never forgets is the love of her life, whose photo she keeps tucked in the folds of the red velvet of the couch at the end of the hallway. Aboard the Trans-Siberian, Anne reads the great Russian classics, dozes, and befriends, for the fleeting moment of the trip, her fellow passengers. She also thinks about Clémence and wonders whether she is missed. By the time she reaches the town in Siberia where Gyl lives, she doesn't even seek him out. The trip itself has answered all her questions, and she races back to Clémence, hopeful that it's not too late.
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