The narrative focuses on Ferdinand, a resident of the Residence for Students from Côte d'Ivoire (RSCI) in Paris. Living with Ivorian students, Ferdinand finds himself in an environment filled with intellectual pretension and anti-establishment sentiments. The students always use big, pretentious terms when they talk, and rage against the establishment despite doing very little practically to fight it. He moves to Paris after it became evident that Ferdinand would not achieve academic success. His cousin André, a brilliant student, supports him financially by working as a security guard at Les Moulins Grands de Paris, a flower mill. A transformative incident at the mill showcases André's dual identity as both a student and a security guard, altering how people perceive him.

Amidst political turmoil in Africa and the French government's discomfort with left-wing African students, Ferdinand learns that the RSCI...