In a village square in Corsica lies the body of ardent nationalist, Stéphane Campana, shot down at close range. And over his body weeps Virginie, the young woman who has venerated Stéphane all her life - a veneration that has led her to abandon herself to him and his twisted desires completely.

Meanwhile, brother and sister Khaled and Hayet, who once gazed out to sea from the shoreline path known as "Balco Atlantico" and dreamed of a better future, are now stranded in Corsica. As Ferrari traces the history of Stéphane and Virginie that leads to the shooting in the village square, we encounter the story of Khaled and Hayet and see through their story and the stories of many others in this one Corsican square how a relentless pursuit of happiness and fulfilment can bring us perilously close to despair and disillusionment.