A poignant series of short episodes follows a red-haired boy in rural France whose childhood is marked by a cold, often cruel mother, an indifferent father and the household’s small humiliations; through wry, concise observations the narrative explores his longing for love, the strategies he invents to survive neglect, moments of tender rebellion and fleeting joy, and a growing self-awareness that blends bitterness with resilience to create a stark, humane portrait of family cruelty and the interior life of a child.