 Young Martin, a ten-year-old, is chosen by his schoolmaster to recite a complicated, rather esoteric poem in public. Although he volunteered to do it, Martin is scared at this prospect. He is not sure to remember the poem to perfection on D-day. Little by little, the cursed poem pervades his life, which unsettles him all the more as, around him, his family environment is deteriorating. Indeed, his parents start having arguments and seem to be on the verge of divorce. But his father does not let him down. He supports him - although awkwardly at times - and helps him to memorize the abstruse text. Will Martin be able to perform it on stage?