Riton (Jacques Villeret) lives on the marsh with his wife and children but still pines for his first wife who left him several years earlier. He finds solace in a bottle and companionship in his friend Garris (Jacques Gamblin) who also lives on the marsh. The men lead a simple life doing odd jobs and spending time with their friends Amedee (Andre Dussollier), a confirmed bachelor and lover of jazz, and Pepe (Michel Serrault), a self-made successful businessman who fondly remembers his days as a poor marsh-dweller.

Nominated for 5 Cesars, the French equivalent of the Academy Awards