Christ in Flanders by Honoré de Balzac. Short summary

5 seconds

A boat with passengers gets caught in a storm. The passengers are rescued by a stranger. He states that only those who believe can be saved and escorts the drowning people to shore.

1 minute

A belated stranger steps into a boat carrying travelers from Cajant Island. The owner of the boat, informs him that a violent storm is coming, and orders the rowers to work faster. Soon the boat is caught up in the storm.

The carrier tells the passengers to siphon off the water. The girl asks the knight if they are all going to die. He tells her that he can swim, but that he alone can save her. The old beggar repents of her sins, wishing to hear that they are absolved. The stranger, turning to her, replies: «Be filled with faith, and you will find salvation.»

The helmsman almost manages to get the boat out, but the whirlwind throws it back into the sea and capsizes it. The stranger tells the others that only those who believe will be saved, and that they should follow him. He stands up and walks on the waves, and his example is followed by the other passengers. A young girl is dragged to the bottom by her lover. The bishop and the old lady, weighed down by their crimes, go to the bottom. The other drowning men manage to reach the shore and escape.