We present millimeter continuum and line observations of a dense core in L1
211, a member of the Cepheus cloud complex. We find a small cluster of at l
east 4 millimeter (mm) sources with no optical counterpart, but each associ
ated with near infrared (NIR) diffuse emission. The strongest mm source has
no NIR point-like counterpart, and constitutes a good candidate for a Clas
s 0 object. The other mm objects seem associated with NIR sources and most
likely belong to Class I, as also suggested by the spectral energy distribu
tions derived from combining our mm data with IRAS HIRES fluxes. As evidenc
ed by our line data, the mm sources are embedded in an elongated, turbulent
core of about 150 M. of mass and 0.6 pc length. Two of the millimeter sour
ces power bipolar molecular outflows, another signature of their extreme yo
uth. The outflows are well resolved by our observations and seem to have un
related orientations.
The combination of millimeter sources and bipolar outflow emission indicate
s that multiple star formation in L1211 has occurred during a short period
of time (a few 10(5) yr). The lack of a noticeable enhancement in the numbe
r of NIR sources suggests that the core has not had enough time to form a c
luster, so we infer that L1211 is undergoing a first episode of star format
ion.