Boubacar Boris Diop

Four junkyard kids go into town looking for something to cure their hero, Grand Batche. On the way, they come across various symbols of society: the cop, the mayor, the postman, the madman, the artist...

Despite the difference in their upbringings and family lives, five young children become friends. Omar is in love with Yacine, a pretty, intelligent girl from a wealthy family. He decides to pen her a love letter, which ends up causing misunderstanding and a rift between him and his childhood love. Meanwhile, Demba falls in love with a beggar and they share 'secret' stares and tender touches in brief meetings each time. All the children seek advice from their mentor, who sells bicycle-rides at the beach-front. The innocence of childhood infatuation is cleverly layered over a troubled Senegal laboring under the strains of strike action and economic upheaval.

A story about desire, choice and the freedom (or lack of it) of young people forced into a traditional practice where a male tags a girl at birth for marriage in adulthood.