: Instead of leading the battle, the marshal plays billiards at the headquarters. The battle was eventually lost, the army retreats, not waiting for the commander’s orders, but the marshal won his party.

The battle has been going on for two days. Exhausted soldiers spent the night in the pouring rain, and for three hours now they have been fully alert in the middle of a dirty field. They are waiting for the order, but the headquarters does not send it. Meanwhile, the marshal, instead of commanding the troops, plays billiards with the captain, surrounded by officers of the headquarters located in the magnificent castle of the times of Louis XIII. The sounds of battle do not reach here, and the rain that washed out the roads only refreshed the lawns of the palace park.

When the marshal began the party, the whole world could fail, but nothing could stop him.

A young captain is able to beat anyone, but the marshal is an avid player, and for a successful career to continue, it is advisable for the captain to lose the game to his commander, which everyone present understands. The sounds of cannon shots suddenly reach the castle. The officers run up to the windows in alarm, but the marshal is so keen on the game that he does not notice anything.

The captain, shocked to the core by this act of his commander, loses his head, forgets about his career,makes some really good hits and almost wins. The marshal accepts the challenge, and the game of billiards takes on the character of a fierce confrontation. The adjutant covered in mud runs into the headquarters, but the marshal flatly refuses to command the troops, exhausted during the battle, which reached a climax, until this party is played out.

Soldiers die in inaction, with weapons in their hands, not understanding why the “blood of the sons of France” is shed in vain. And now the battle is lost, the army retreats in disarray, not waiting for the commander's orders. But the marshal wins the game of billiards.