Every French woman knows about 'le coup de foudre', the thunderbolt of love at first sight that changes your life forever. But romance is the last thing on the mind of Jacqueline Maréchal when the young Parisian woman arrives in Cologne in 1963, during the days leading to Carnival. All she wants is relief from her rigid family environment, and to bide her time while she devises a plan to escape even farther, all the way to America. Until she meets Rainer Heinrich.
A self-professed cynic, German student Rainer Heinrich doesn't believe in love. He is content to observe its ravages from afar and relish his own carefree life. Until he meets Jacqueline Maréchal. With the fearless innocence of young love, they trust that the intensity of their feelings will overcome national borders and centuries-old prejudices. Yet the forever happiness they promise each other is not meant to be. The opposition of her parents soon forces them apart. But they never forget.
When their paths cross again two decades later, they finally confront the youthful fantasies that shaped their lives. From historic Boston suburbs to glamorous European cities, they must face The Other Side of Forever.
Every French woman knows about 'le coup de foudre', the thunderbolt of love at first sight that changes your life forever. But romance is the last thing on the mind of Jacqueline Maréchal when the young Parisian woman arrives in Cologne in 1963, during the days leading to Carnival. All she wants is relief from her rigid family environment, and to bide her time while she devises a plan to escape even farther, all the way to America. Until she meets Rainer Heinrich.
A self-professed cynic, German student Rainer Heinrich doesn't believe in love. He is content to observe its ravages from afar and relish his own carefree life. Until he meets Jacqueline Maréchal. With the fearless innocence of young love, they trust that the intensity of their feelings will overcome national borders and centuries-old prejudices. Yet the forever happiness they promise each other is not meant to be. The opposition of her parents soon forces them apart. But they never forget.
When their paths cross again two decades later, they finally confront the youthful fantasies that shaped their lives. From historic Boston suburbs to glamorous European cities, they must face The Other Side of Forever.