In the Sampeyre commune in Val Varaita at the foot of Monviso in Piedmont, an important popular festivity which lasts three days is held every five years. Three villages, Rore, Villar and Calchesio are involved and only men can take part. The film shows the 1982 celebrations with parades, meetings, dances, fights and trials that recall the ancient Saracens and the later Napoleonic influence.