Marianne de ma jeunesse (1955)

At the aristocratic Bavarian boarding school housed in Heiligenstadt Castle, Vincent Loringer is regarded by the other students as an unusual boy. He sings exotic songs in a melancholy voice, accompanying himself on the guitar. One day, he and a few classmates set off to explore the shores on the other side of the lake. They venture onto an estate said to be abandoned, and when a shadow appears in the old house, they hurry back to their boarding school without Vincent. When he returns much later, he seems transformed and appears to gaze in wonder at something intangible. He then tells them that he met the most angelic of creatures, who answered to the sweet name of Marianne. He has only one thought now: to see her again and try to free her, because she is supposedly being held prisoner in the house. His classmates summon their courage and accompany him to the mysterious estate, but Marianne has disappeared. Vincent then leaves the boarding school to search for his childhood love, ready to go to the ends of the earth if necessary, because only then will he regain the will to live.