Plot summary

Nine year old Icare prefers to be called by his nickname Courgette (Zucchini in English), given to him by his alcoholic mother, the only parent he has ever really known as his father abandoned them when he was young. Despite the abuse inflicted by his mother when she's drunk, Icare still prefers to be be called Courgette when he is sent to live at a children's group home as one of the only touchstones he has to family. Despite the true care provided to him by the facility's administration, Courgette has a difficult time trying to fit in with all the other children, each who is in the home for a different reason, and especially with another child, Simon, controlling the situation to his own amusement, often at the expense of his target at the time. Courgette will learn that Simon is just like him in being emotionally hurt by their situation. Now as his only real connection to the outside world, Courgette looks forward to any contact he has with a police officer named Raymond, who handled his case that led to him being sent to the home, Raymond's interest seemingly beyond a professional one. The dynamic among the children starts to change with the arrival of another child, ten year old Camille, whose awareness leads to each child beginning to blossom in this environment for them all to become truly each other's family. That want to protect family also results in them all trying to help Camille in return as her cruel Aunt Ida, all sweetness in public, tries to gain custody of Camille solely for the money.—Huggo