A man living alone in Quebec City hears a brassy tune waft through his apartment window. He follows its chirping out to the street, and there he meets a troupe of acrobats, jugglers, and musicians - among them a charming Katherine Hepburn-lookalike, Marie. They set off together. In his bookmobile, he guides the troupe up the craggy coast of the St. Lawrence River. Along the way, he falls in love and lends book upon book to the devoted readers of the towns he visits every summer.