Tuvalu. The name of the island about which the main characters dream. A dream that appears to have little likelihood of success, given the fact that they are cut off from the outside world, in a dilapidated, and pretty much deserted swimming baths. Denis Lavant (Les Amants du Pont Neuf) plays the downtrodden younger son of the swimming pool owner, who does his utmost to maintain the illusion that this sorry pile of bricks and mortar is still a flourishing business. In reality hardly any swimmers come any more, and those that do come pay their entrance fee in buttons – literally. Meanwhile, his unscrupulous elder brother is trying to bring about the ruin of the business so that the building can be demolished and the land can be developed anew.