After the death of his mother, middle-aged insurance employee inherits her small cottage surrounded by a garden. Selling the cottage which is situated on unexploited ground near the center of a big city makes him a rich man and he buys a big house in the countryside. He takes some time off and decides to throw a big garden party at the house and invite all his colleagues from the office. Aided by alcohol, the guests gradually lose all their inhibitions and reveal personality traits and frustrations that they normally keep hidden.
In 1964, Switzerland presented and looked at itself in a great national Exposition in Lausanne. One of the main attractions was this critical self-portrait in five short movements that deals as much with the nation’s beloved clichés as with its problems.