The Story As It Should Be Told

The version of Marguerite de la Rocque’s story that most faithfully serves both the historical record and the woman herself is the simplest one: a French noblewoman was abandoned on an uninhabited island in the Gulf of St.

Lawrence in 1542 by her guardian, who was punishing her for a romantic relationship he disapproved of.

She survived on the island for two and a half to three years.

The people who were with her when she was abandoned — her companion, her nurse, and the child she bore on the island — all died during that time.