A priceless archaeological find, the “Mother of Barcika”, is loaded onto a special train to tour Hungary, only for fate to derail it at the sleepy Ivaros station. There, the engine, a gendarme, the relic and its guards all end up stranded in a pigsty, igniting chaos: the relic is gambled away, the station master loses control, and the local mayor’s daughter finds unexpected love. In the ensuing mayhem, rivalries, romances and small-town intrigues all collide until order is somehow restored.

After marrying a successful Parisian writer known commonly as Willy, Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette is transplanted from her childhood home in rural France to the intellectual and artistic splendor of Paris. Soon after, Willy convinces Colette to ghostwrite for him. She pens a semi-autobiographical novel about a witty and brazen country girl named Claudine, sparking a bestseller and a cultural sensation. After its success, Colette and Willy become the talk of Paris and their adventures inspire additional Claudine novels.