Marcel presents a clumsy pantomime act in front of an invisible audience, playing with his hat and his flats. Suddenly, he writhes as if he were carried away by a river. Indeed, he does end up in another location, on a seemingly real bank, then in a clearing. This clearing is the scene of his hallucinations, in the form of agonizing visions of an audience wearing masks. Marcel will also recall an episode in his past when he found himself stuck during his performance.