About the title
The town of San Victor is a picture of order and prosperity, much to the delight of its pedantic mayor. He credits his beloved rooster with the town's well-being, since for seven years the bird has woken the townsfolk at exactly 4 a.m., giving them plenty of time to get everything done. But such an early wake-up call to crowing irritates the residents, and they decide to give the rooster away to the neighboring town of San Benoit, trading it for a donkey in the hope that the latter will bring them luck. Instead of the expected success, the town falls into laziness, with people idling their time away. This state of affairs greatly upsets the mayor, and a small team of his devoted admirers sets off for San Benoit, determined to bring the rooster back...
