The Flower of UshantThe steamer Louise stops in deep waters near a small, quiet village on a granite island where seagulls fly between the roofs of old whitewashed houses. The ship whistles, awakening the village as fishermen gather at the pier and prepare a canoe to unload cargo. The parish priest walks down to the shore and exchanges greetings with Captain Joachim Miniou, who grumbles about the locals not being in a hurry. As the ship prepares to depart, a young woman runs down the main street toward the pier, causing the captain to order the engine room to reverse.The fishermen row the young woman, named Marie Ange, out to the steamer. The narrator admires her grace, beauty, and traditional embroidered headdress as she boards the ship. Captain Miniou playfully teases her about her early morning journey. Marie Ange explains that she visited the island of Molene to celebrate the birth of her cousin's nine-pound baby boy. She adds that she is the godmother, which required her to leave despite having peas to thrash at home. When the captain inquires about her partner Jean, her eyes light up as she describes a highly successful lobster catch that yielded one hundred and fifty lobsters. She notes that Jean could not join her because he went to sell the fish at the island of Saints for a higher price.The narrator listens to her melodic voice in fascination, deeply impressed by her natural, captivating beauty. Captain Miniou whispers to the narrator that he is lucky to see the Flower of Ushant on his first voyage. As the autumn morning sun rises, the dark silhouette of the Breton mainland promontories becomes clear before melting into the brilliant light of the ocean. Marie Ange stands up and crosses herself, prompting the narrator to ask if she is greeting the sun. She explains that they are entering the Fromveur, just as two green islets named Balanec and Bannec pass by. The steamer begins to struggle against choppy, heavy waves that shake the vessel and form deep whirlpools.The narrator recalls childhood legends about the Fromveur being the home of eternal sirens and malicious sea fairies. When he asks Marie Ange if she believes in sirens, she grows visibly pale and troubled. She asks why he is questioning her, but her mood shifts back to a smile when the narrator mentions he is from the Tregor region. Marie Ange asks him about Tregor, which she imagines as a rich land of streams and leaves, before speaking of her own wild homeland of Eussa. Soon, the island of Eussa materializes on the horizon as a colossal granite mass topped with reddish grass, resembling a giant primitive altar rising above the ocean.