Part 1, Search for the Father, The Child's Games Summary

Jacques is on the ship to Algeria to visit his mother. He remembers living with mother, grandmother and family. He grew up poor in an Algiers neighborhood. The grandmother would insist on making Jacques take an afternoon nap when he was growing up. But Jacques never slept. He hated the naps and always tried to get out of them. Jacques is happy he escaped the poverty of his childhood, but he is also excited to return to Algiers.

Flashing back to childhood, Jacques plays with Pierre and his other friends. They play in decrepit places seeped in urine. They play a game called canette vinga, a poor man's version of tennis. Jacques lives in a slum, where people pile all of their unusable belongings. The best days are the...