Synopsis

1960. Montpaillard, a quiet little French town, known for his good wines. It calls itself «The quietest town in France». The only one not to find it so quiet is Parju (François-Alexandre Galepides, known as Moustache), the official gamekeeper of the town, who is the constant victim of Blaireau (Louis de Funès), the local poacher. When he walks back downtown, with his uniform all messed-up by Blaireau's last joke, everyone makes fun of him : Auguste (Lucien Hubert) the barrel-maker, Mr Lerechigneux (Robert Vattier) the judge, Maître Guilloche (Jean-Marie Amato) a lawyer and the head of the opposition at the town council, Mr Bluette (Pierre Mondy) the director of the local prison, and most of the inhabitants of the town.The only one not to find it funny is the conservative Mayor of the town, Mr Dubenoît (Frédéric Duvallès). He loves peace and order, and he would like to get rid of the only troublemaker of the town, the poacher Blaireau. After telling Parju to do everything to catch Blaireau, he goes, along with Mr Bluette, to a bridge game in his friend's castle, the Count Léon de Chaville (Roland Armontel) and his wife, the Countess (Madeleine Barbulée).At the castle, they meet Arabella de Chaville (Noëlle Adam), the Count's daughter, who drives around town on her motorcycle, frightening the population. The Count tells his friend the Mayor he would like to marry her as soon as possible.Before going up to her room, Arabella steals a bottle of alcohol from a servant's tray. The servant then brings the tray to the card table and asks the Countess how she wants the pheasant cooked. The mayor gets a bit mad, when he understands the pheasant comes from the poacher Blaireau.Meanwhile, Blaireau is walking in the forest, getting game from the various traps he has set around, with the help of his small black and white dog.Meanwhile, the four same people are still playing bridge when they are interrupted by the arrival of Armand Fléchard (Claude Rich). Fléchard is Arabella's piano teacher. He is also very much in love with Arabella, but never told her and only sends her anonymous love letters.In her bedroom, Arabella is smoking, drinking, reading thrillers and listening to music. She stops the music when Fléchard enters the room. She starts playing the piano, but, annoyed by Fléchard's comments, she slams the lid of the piano on his fingers.Blaireau is back in his little wooden house in the woods. He shares his meal with his dog and with his tame magpie. Then, he starts dressing to go and give out his poached game to his customers. The magpie knows how to talk a little and helps him to hide the game under his jacket. Before he leaves his house, he goes in his garden to feed his pig, whom he has called «Parju». The real human Parju watches him, hidden in a bush, and doesn't seem to like to have a pig named after him. But Parju's metal badge shines in the sun and Blaireau spots him. Before leaving, Blaireau whispers something to his dog.Blaireau and his dog start walking across the forest, discreetly followed by Parju. But suddenly, Parju doesn't see Blaireau anymore. The poacher is hiding inside a hollow tree. Parju hears the dog barking and follows it. When Parju is gone, Blaireau comes out of his hiding place and walks away, in the opposite direction from Parju.The dog keeps on hiding, making Parju run all around the forest. Meanwhile, Blaireau can discreetly give his game to his customers. One of them is the most famous restaurant in Montpaillard, who takes two hares and two pheasants.When he has seen his last customer, Blaireau enters a bistro to drink a glass of wine. His dogs comes in shortly after him, followed by Parju, dripping with sweat. Parju walks slowly to the bar, orders a beer, and Blaireau, supposedly seeing a fly on the beer foam, blows all the foam in Parju's face.At the Chaville castle, both parents are trying to find a fiancé for their daughter, but none of the young men in Montpaillard is male enough for her.In Montpaillard town hall, the town council is in session and the mayor and his opponent, Maître Guilloche, are fighting over Blaireau, Guilloche accusing the mayor not to do what is necessary to get rid of Blaireau.In a river near Montpaillard, Blaireau is catching trouts with his bare hands. Parju, hidden behind a bunch of reeds, sees him and takes off his boots and his belt to go in the water to catch him, but he drops his metal badge on a stone, and Blaireau spots him. So, when Parju reaches the river, there is no more Blaireau in sight. Blaireau, who is hiding underwater, twists Parju's toe, and Parju runs away, thinking he has been bitten by a snake.Next day is market day in Montpaillard. Blaireau is selling mushrooms, but actually, hidden under his low bench, are two baskets full of the trouts he caught the day before. Parju, who feels that something is afoot, hides behind a nearby stall and sees Blaireau giving plenty of fish to Léontine (Monette Dinay), the mayor's servant. He walks around the stalls to the place where Blaireau is sitting and looks under the bench, but the fish baskets are gone. Looking desperately for the baskets, Parju breaks the stall of a nearby butcher. He has to walk away, and, when he is gone, Blaireau whistles at his dog, who brings the baskets back.A little further away, near a bookshop, the mayor is telling off Parju for breaking the butcher's stall and not catching Blaireau. Arabella enters the bookshop to buy new thrillers. Fléchard enters behind her and try to hide a love letter in one of the book, but, as Arabella keeps changing her mind about the books she wants to buy, he doesn't succeed. A little further away, he eventually succeeds in putting his letter in a bunch of roses she is buying.A little later, Fléchard is alone in Arabella's room, and sees his note on Arabella's desk. He also sees a lot of pictures and even a statue of very manly young men. And when Arabella tells him that there is not one real male in Montpaillard, he walks away.Next day, the mayor has invited his friends for lunch : Mr Bluette, the judge and the Count de Chaville. Léontine serves them the trouts she had bought the day before, but when the mayor understands they come from Blaireau, he almost suffocates.To-day is the official opening of the fishing season in Montpaillard, and everyone is gathered in the town main bistro, to join the fishing contest. Parju is seated at a table to write the names of all the contestants,. When he doesn't want to write Blaireau's name on the list, Maître Guilloche has to order him to do it.The contest is held on a large river near Montpaillard, and Maître Guilloche, president of the contest, is seated at a table on a bridge, with Parju at his side. Every man in the town is there, inclu