Rikard is hampered from his birth by an unusual deformity that drastically limits his ability to speak, but he is also an ace in petanque (the French bowling), thus to have a key role in the team of the bleak care facility where he lives. His best friend Roland is the only one to understand and support him when he is unfairly blamed for an accident on the practice court. As an act of revenge, Roland convinces Rikard to compete in the Nordic Championship with a team of their own (Zughi Ball Club) and the intention to win. Rikard indeed is not alone: buoyed by his imaginative inner life, he is a giant bounding across a fantasy land à la Maxfield Parrish. Over there all dreams come true, and perhaps even to embrace her mother who abandoned him.
