The story centers on a large, eccentric family that gathers at a country estate in Southern France following the sudden death of the matriarch, Madame Vieuzac.
: Swept up in the spirit of the era, the family members briefly abandon their greed for a "giddy" afternoon of wine, marijuana, and fantasies of sexual freedom. May Fools
: The "May Fools" are ultimately the family members themselves—bourgeois individuals who briefly entertain revolutionary ideals only to revert to their petty, self-interested ways once the immediate excitement of the uprising fades. Other "May Fool" Traditions The story centers on a large, eccentric family