Set in 1965 in the midst of the Cold War, Totems follows a French scientist, Francis Mareuil, as he begins working as a spy. While working for the French Secret Service and the CIA, Mareuil meets Lyudmila Goloubeva, a pianist forced to work for the KGB. A romance blossoms between them but neither can be sure what is an expression of their true feelings, and what is the fruit of political shenanigans…
1857. A courtroom. The prosecutor and defense counsel prepare to face off. Between them: Gustave Flaubert, the man on trial. Madame Bovary is charged with obscenity and offending public morals. As the two sides lay out their cases, the novel springs to life. Emma's story unfolds before our eyes. The trial is a reality check for us, rekindling the debate over the status of women at the time. What will the verdict be for Flaubert? What will the verdict be for women - for all the other Emmas?