Book is in French Montreal, 1972. After nineteen years of living together, Charles and Diane Maltais are still a loving couple. Surrounded by their four children and well settled in their charming home in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve district, they project an image of happiness and success. But their daily life is far from perfect. Charles, a city employee, is going through a period of turbulence as the mayor announces the upcoming Olympic Games. He can no longer stand being bombarded with questions by his neighbors. His wife takes everything with a grain of salt, fearing visits from her unpleasant sister-in-law more than her husband's changing moods. And there is Marc, the eldest, who has had a reputation as a heartthrob since he started CEGEP. Intrigued by their brother's sudden metamorphosis, the almost-twins Martine and Julie look into his case. As for François-Xavier, known as FX, the youngest often left to himself, he finds comfort with his beloved grandmother. Behind their cedar hedge the size of the giant Beaupré, will the Maltais be caught up in this madness of grandeur which encompasses the metropolis and intoxicates restless hearts?