'One must strive a little for the epic, old boy.'

It's 1959 and Philippe, Gustave and Henri, three veterans from the First World War, dream of making their escape from the soldiers' home. Their cantankerous camaraderie becomes strained as they plot an expedition to Indochina, or at least as far as the poplar trees on the distant hill...

The play, under its original title 'Le Vent des Peupliers', was first produced in Paris in 2002 and became an enormous success. It was translated by Tom Stoppard and premiered in 2005 at the Wyndham's Theatre, London to great acclaim with John Hurt, Richard Griffiths and Ken Stott.