The game of Pétanque in Provence is both a structural and a composite element of social life. Structural because it obeys unchanging rules and rites, composite because it is practiced equally by all social classes. To get beyond a simple playful look, Sami Sarkis proposes to set up a dramatic climax, which is a pretext for a character study where what is truly at stake is no longer simply victory but above all the quest for respectability.