In very dry seasons some drinkwater is brought from wells dug in the bed of the river, about half-an hour from the village.

President Emmanuel Macron vowed an economic revival, but as he seeks re-election, a Potemkin factory in the town where he was raised shows just how hard that can be.

Where downhill skiers have slopes illuminated by flood lamps to boost their vertical mileage, snowshoers and cross-country skiers rely on moonshine.

Later, Dickian characters are frequently to find themselves trapped in hallucinations or fake worlds of various kinds, often without knowing it or, if knowing it, without being able to do anything about it.