Cyriel Buysse depicts the downfall of a small East Flanders farmer and his household, at the turn of the century, in a time commonly called la belle époque, which was only nice for the ruling upper crust of chateau lords and their friends.

In 1833, when the fledgling Belgian kingdom still fears a Dutch invasion, recruits were selected annually from an age cohort by a draw of lots in each locality. In this grim, then contemporary drama by the 'father of Flemish literature', Hendrik Conscience, Jan Braems, a poor and naive farmers-boy, accepts the not uncommon offer by a rich family to sell his lucky ticket (out) to their son for a hefty sum compared to the miserable labor wages at the time. Army life is even harsher then a farmhand's, especially for a Dutch-speaking an-alphabet who simply can't understand his francophone superiors, and Jan's nature is not complacent enough for military discipline even by todays standards, so he soon gets into all kinds of trouble, including gambling his capital away and a venereal disease. When his girlfriend back home goes looking for him, her life is doomed as well.

The Mayor of a small Flemish town is determined at all costs to save a unique bird sanctuary from a ruthless businessman who advocates a housing development on the site. The main story, though, centres on a childhood trauma that unites the two men and a dark femme fatale whom one desires and the other attempts to manipulate.

A young sailor finds himself trapped in the labyrinthine mansion of his occultist uncle, along with a number of eccentric and mysterious relatives who all seem to be harboring a dark secret.

Around 1850 Baas Gansendonck who has an inn looks down on the farmers. He wants his daughter Lisa to marry the baron of the village. But she is in love with Karel, the son of a simple brewer.

Folk comedy in which the import/exportbusiness of Jef Dijckman is getting in dire straits ... .

Jan Peeters is happily married and his wife Annie just things he's the best. When all of a sudden 4 women buy him a tie for his birthday she's becoming suspicious.