The Golden Ball is a wonderful children's film that tells of a young boy's dream of being a soccer player. Whenever a match is broadcast live in the village of Makono, Bandian and his brother keep their ears to the transistor radio, spinning a picture of the game from the announcer's commentary much as they fantasize themselves on the field. A gift of a real soccer ball, which Bandian paints gold, like a magical object involves him in a series of adventures which bring him in reach of his dream, but which also require him to make difficult choices.

The year is 1943 and the place is Balandou, a small village in Guinea. The plot revolves around Adjutant Mariani, some kind of a misfit. Despised by his superiors, hated by his wife Marie-France, he represents colonial France while dreaming of Africa and its mysteries. When pro-independence Lanseye Kante, the new manager of the school, arrives in the village, turmoil arises.