A dying desert town becomes a flashpoint for racial violence when a young white man asks an African American girl out to the annual dance.

Southern sleaze meets art in bizarre French film, mixing sex and racism, scored with sultry jazz, and served with a healthy dose of cynical humor. The small town of Cicada is a "lost paradise" of poverty and racial tension. Things turn nasty when lily-white Army veteran Bob asks lovely black-skinned Bessie to the Saturday night dance.—Cultpix