[1][2] It is World War I. Charelke Dop lives in the Belgian municipality Diest.

Charelke is a manipulative, lying, stingy, immoral but charming widower.

He earns a lot of money by declaring people to the German soldiers although he is a smuggler, traitor and blackmailer.

He convinces highly placed Belgians that he performed acts of valour (whilst it were only misdeeds) and thus receives medals of honour and an accompanying ceremony.

[4] The book was adapted for screen in a miniserie of two episodes in 1985 by the Belgian national television station BRT.