In a crumbling medieval castle stacked in unprosperous land in the South of France, the mad lord Caesar lives with his beautiful wife, the sex-starved but ever-hopeful Bonne, and a few cynical retainers. Caesar is lost in other lands, his madness holding the castle, even the dry landscape, in a state of unreality, until the arrival of the young killer, Amanieu, wakes this isolated household from its dreams. Extraordinary events ensue, from Bonne's battle with the bees to Caesar's joust against the German giant who seeks revenge on the murder of his brother. While man and wife soar to ever greater heights of illusion, their daughter Flore travels through myths of her own to a cheerful relinquishment of childhood and an alliance with Amanieu.