In 1934, at the Belle-Île-en-Mer reformatory, 56 young inmates aged between 13 and 21 revolt and escape. Hunted down by local residents, fishermen, and summer visitors, they are captured and brutally punished. The incident sparks a national scandal and shocks all of France. Alexis Danan, a senior reporter for Paris-Soir, then embarks on the fight of his life: exposing the inhumane conditions of what were known at the time as “children’s penal colonies,” awakening public opinion, and securing the closure of these so-called “houses of torment.” For five years, this crusading journalist conducts a relentless investigation. Accusations of murder, trials, infiltration, abduction, scandal… Danan is ready to go to any lengths to defend his cause and reform juvenile justice.