Kesten is a tiny charming village where the borders of Bulgaria, Turkey and Greece meet. French anthropologist Francois Denys comes to the village to study the risk of ethnic conflict in this part of the Balkans. His choice is not random - his father, a mining engineer, once developed the mines next to the village. Vladimir is the representative of all branches of officialdom in Kesten – he is the mayor, headmaster of the school (which has stood empty for 10 years), and head of the local post office. In performing conscientiously all three functions, Vladimir gradually develops triple personality disorder – the mayor turns into his own wife Maria’s secret lover, the headmaster is madly jealous of the mayor, while the postman woos Maria with awkward timidity. Francois becomes unwillingly drawn into the absurd life of the small village. Thus, in the autumn of 1998, the population of France grows by another 17 people – the total population of the village of Kesten, when the tipsy Vladimir and Francois send an official telegram to the Palais de l’Elysée to inform the president of their wish. In Kesten, on the border between two continents, three states, and two religions, the borders between real and unreal become blurred. Nothing is impossible and even wine flows instead of water out of the taps.