Mississippi Mermaid

A wealthy businessman living on the island of La Reunion orders a bride by mail and receives--instead of his intended--a beautiful, mysterious woman with a flimsy excuse. He marries the imposter anyway, but his dream life is shattered when the woman absconds with his bank account and leads him into a murky drama of missing persons and murder.

Ultimately, this strange tale transforms into a surprisingly powerful adult love story, in which both participants find themselves able to forgive each other's failings and transgressions--allowing them to move forward without regret, or undue fear of what the future might hold. In the film's finale, Truffaut returns to the same barren, snowbound cabin that he used to such great effect in SHOOT THE PIANO PLAYER, only this time the results are substantially less fatalistic.