The film is based on the autobiographical novel by Jean Egen. Written with a sense of humor, he quickly sold out in France within a few weeks it sold 100 000 copies. This is the story of an Alsatian family from the point of view of a child who does not understand, belonging to a nation he must feel in himself. Recall that Alsace and Lorraine are alternately passed to France, then to Germany until the 2nd world war.