The Maple Leaf

1h

Drama

From 1535 to 1760, this story follows the Bellerose family, beginning with François Bellerose's arrival in New France with Jacques Cartier and culminating in Julien Bellerose's death. Through generations, the Belleroses embody the tenacity and courage with which families overcame adversity to build Canada, then known as New France. Each episode features a new generation.

Production Companies

Radio Canada Productions

ORTF

Société Suisse de Radiodiffusion et Télévision (SSR)

RTB

Episodes

Cast

The Canadian Man (Le Canayen)

1. The Canadian Man (Le Canayen)

1h

28th Dec 1971

François Bellerose, wounded by two arrows during Jacques Cartier's Canadian expedition, loses consciousness as the French escape in the longboat. Indians carry him away, and delirium from fever sets in. Upon awakening, he faces his initial struggles to adapt.

The Canadian Woman (La Canayenne)

2. The Canadian Woman (La Canayenne)

1h

4th Jan 1972

François's fiancée, lost in Canada fighting Indians, joins settlers from France to find him living among them. She then reintegrates him into civilization.

The Girl of Tadoussac (La Pucelle de Tadoussac)

3. The Girl of Tadoussac (La Pucelle de Tadoussac)

1h

11th Jan 1972

Having escaped a ship, three bandits raid the Bellerose home, where only the women reside. Jean and Pierre Bellerose, aided by Iroquois Indians, pursue them to rescue the women.

The Cross of Mont Royal (La Croix du Mont-Royal)

4. The Cross of Mont Royal (La Croix du Mont-Royal)

1h

18th Jan 1972

Jean Bellerose, a Frenchman, is the first casualty of the Iroquois resistance to colonial settlement, prompting a war between settlers and the Iroquois.

A Burning Winter (Un Hiver Brûlant)

5. A Burning Winter (Un Hiver Brûlant)

1h

25th Jan 1972

As Pierre Bellerose prepares to leave Santa Maria for Montreal with furs, the murder of a young Native American ignites tensions. Accusations fly against a French trader and even the mission's superior officer. Bellerose, witnessing the unrest, decides to investigate the murder himself.

The King's Daughter (La Fille du Roy)

6. The King's Daughter (La Fille du Roy)

1h

1st Feb 1972

Arriving in Canada as one of 150 "filles du roi" sent to remedy the gender imbalance, Nicole d'Astier finds herself drawn to a solitary lumberjack who spurns her marriage prospects.

Three Thousand Soldiers, One Woman (3000 Soldats, Une Fille)

7. Three Thousand Soldiers, One Woman (3000 Soldats, Une Fille)

1h

8th Feb 1972

François Bellerose rescues a drowning woman who claims to be from Boston and warns of an imminent English attack on Quebec, but the governor suspects she is a spy.

The Caribus (Les Caribous)

8. The Caribus (Les Caribous)

1h

15th Feb 1972

Hudson Bay, 1694: Bellerose, a backwoodsman, must announce the French reoccupation of Fort Nelson (renamed Fort Bourbon) and renegotiate the fur trade with the Eskimos. Guided by a mixed-race Eskimo interpreter, Bellerose will face the daily struggle for survival in the unforgiving landscape.

The Lord Of The Forest  (Le Seigneur De La Forêt)

9. The Lord Of The Forest (Le Seigneur De La Forêt)

1h

22nd Feb 1972

Canada, 1702. A suspicious death during a Bellerose logging operation ignites superstitious fears among the lumberjacks, who blame the "White Lady."

The Camel's Treasure (Le Trésor Du Chameau)

10. The Camel's Treasure (Le Trésor Du Chameau)

1h

29th Feb 1972

Canada, 1725: Leon Bellerose, an informant for the governor, works with the chief engineer of the Cap Breton fortress, whose daughter is pursued by an officer, the son of a high-ranking official.

The Acadians (Les Acadiens)

11. The Acadians (Les Acadiens)

1h

7th Mar 1972

Canada, 1758. Major Evans, a British officer, is ordered to eliminate rebels evading deportation. Pierre Bellerose, with his brother and wife, seeks refuge in the woods alongside other locals.

The Fugitive (L’Évadé)

12. The Fugitive (L’Évadé)

1h

14th Mar 1972

Canada, 1758. Amidst fifteen years of conflict between the French and Canadians, young Quebec garrison officer Julian Bellerose is betrothed to his cousin. During a country walk, she encounters and hides a wounded, fugitive English officer, unaware of the peril she courts.

Farewell to the Fleur-de-Lis (L’Adieu Au Lys)

13. Farewell to the Fleur-de-Lis (L’Adieu Au Lys)

1h

21st Mar 1972

England prevails in the war. Aunt Anne's death coincides with the Bellerose mansion becoming a refuge. Anne Marie returns, remorseful for her elopement, and seeks reconciliation with her former fiancé. (Final episode)

First air date

28th Dec 1971

Last air date

21st Mar 1972

Status

Ended

Type

Scripted

Original language

fr

Networks