For six months, Jean-Louis has caught the 9:06 train for Cateau. It's two cars long and he sits in the front car. On January 2, 1992, after the train has left the station, the conductor informs him that the 9:06 no longer stops in Cateau; Jean-Louis will have to pay a fine, get off at Desvres, and catch a bus back. He panics, he'll be late, he'll lose his job, his children will starve. He pleads with the conductor as the other passengers in the car listen. The conductor takes him to see Errol, the engineer; Jean-Louis pleads with Errol to stop the train in Cateau. Errol says he can't do that, but if Jean-Louis is a fast runner, he has an idea that just might work.