Watch Fmovies. In February 1871, at the dawn of the Paris Commune, Rose Beuret, Auguste Rodin's companion, was alone in the studio. In the absence of her companion, she was responsible for maintaining his sculptures. The clay had to be kept moist every day. In the course of her daily work, Rose develops a strange illness: the skin on her damaged hands gradually turns as grey as the clay. She develops an irrational fear of turning into a statue.