Here it all begins: Hortense and Vic face a tragedy as devastating as their father’s death – What awaits you soon at the Institute [SPOILER]
The next few weeks at the Auguste Armand Institute promise to be devastating for the Rivière sisters. After several months of calm, fate seems to be hounding Hortense and Vic once again. A plot of rare intensity, worthy of the greatest tragedies experienced in Here It All Begins , will place them at the heart of a drama of a magnitude comparable to the death of their father. Emotions will be at their peak, and fans will not emerge unscathed from this story, which mixes secrets, guilt, and rebirth.
For some time now, Hortense has been trying to find a new balance between her professional life and her role as a professor at the Institute. Calm and more confident than ever, she thrives in her teaching and maintains an intact bond with Mehdi. But behind her bright smile, a shadow looms. Discreet signs, moments of absence, a fatigue she tries to hide: everything indicates that she is carrying a burden she doesn’t share with anyone. Even Vic, so close to her, senses that something is wrong.
For her part, Vic is trying to rebuild her life after months of turmoil. Her past choices have left their mark on her, and she’s striving to prove to everyone—and especially to herself—that she’s changed. But this quest for redemption will lead her down slippery slope. By embarking on an ambitious culinary project, she inadvertently attracts the attention of a mysterious investor, whose intentions aren’t as noble as he claims. This charming but manipulative newcomer will sow discord between the two sisters, reawakening family wounds they thought had healed.
Their bond, once so strong, begins to crack. The shadow of their father, who died tragically, returns to haunt their conversations. Certain truths that had remained untold resurface, particularly around the exact circumstances of his death. Hortense discovers a disturbing detail in an old letter left by their father, an enigmatic sentence that calls everything into question. Determined to understand, she delves into her past, little suspecting that by reopening this wound, she will trigger a series of dramatic events.
Little by little, daily life at the Institute transforms into a veritable emotional arena. Tensions between Hortense and Vic mount, each convinced they are right. Mehdi tries to calm the situation, but his unwavering support for Hortense creates a distance with Vic, who feels betrayed. Hurt, Vic isolates herself and grows closer to the mysterious investor, believing he will find a sympathetic ear. Taking advantage of her fragility, he pushes her to take her project further, even if it means crossing certain dangerous boundaries.
Around October 20, the plot reaches a point of no return. During a party at the Institute intended to promote the new generation of chefs, an incident occurs. A dish prepared by Vic causes one of the guests to become seriously ill. Rumors of poisoning quickly spread. The Institute is in shock. The authorities become involved, an investigation is launched, and Vic finds himself at the center of all the accusations. Hortense, distraught, refuses to believe her sister’s guilt, but the evidence against her mounts.
This tragedy becomes a nightmare for the two young women. Vic, cornered, begins to doubt herself. And when anonymous messages begin circulating, accusing her of having wanted to avenge her father, everything changes. The idea that their father’s death may not have been a simple accident resurfaces. Doubts, unspoken words, and family secrets burst into the open. What was supposed to be a tribute turns into an emotional reckoning.
Hortense, for her part, refuses to give up. With the help of Mehdi and Clotilde, she conducts her own investigation to clear her sister’s name. Her research leads her to a chilling discovery: the infamous investor is none other than a former associate of their father, a man driven by resentment and determined to make the girls pay for past mistakes. This manipulative figure from the past has been pulling the strings from the start, orchestrating the Rivières’ fall from grace. The chain of events is therefore not a coincidence, but a carefully planned revenge.
The episodes from late October plunge viewers into a rarely experienced emotional intensity. Vic, arrested and taken into custody, is experiencing the worst hours of her life. Hortense, devastated, fights against the judicial system, refusing to abandon her sister. Sisterly love, put to the test, transforms into a true force. At the same time, the Institute tries to recover from this scandal. Teyssier, shaken for once, understands that this drama goes beyond the professional sphere: it is a human story, profoundly tragic.
The penultimate episode of this story marks a major turning point. Hortense manages to uncover the truth and publicly exposes the culprit during a lecture, in a scene of impressive dramatic intensity. In front of everyone, she reveals the manipulations, lies, and pretenses. The culprit is unmasked, but he hasn’t said his last word. In a last desperate attempt, he endangers Vic’s life, provoking a shocking confrontation. Hortense, risking her own life, manages to save her—but the price to pay will be heavy.
The finale of this storyline, scheduled for the last week of October, promises to be poignant. Vic, deeply scarred, decides to move away from the Institute to rebuild her life. Hortense, though heroic, remains haunted by the fear of having lost everything. Their bond, tested by pain, emerges stronger, but also more fragile than ever. In a moving final shot, the two sisters hold hands, facing the sunset over the Institute’s grounds, silent but united. Their gaze speaks volumes: they now know that, whatever happens, their family will forever be bound by the tragedy.
Thus, Here It All Begins offers us a deeply human story, where family tragedy mixes with passion and redemption. Hortense and Vic, luminous and tormented figures, will experience a shock equal to the loss of their father. Between tears, secrets and rebirth, this story promises to be one of the most moving in the series, forever marking the lives of the two sisters… and that of the entire Auguste Armand Institute.
