The stories are all told by the author in the first person, typically addressing a Parisian reader. The author, having relocated his home from Paris, recounts short bucolic tales about his new life in Provence as well as his trips to Corsica and French Algeria. The stories vary from day-to-day events in southern France to Provençal folktales, and often feature professions and faunal references characteristic of Provence. The tales are characterised by pity, tenderness and sadness, alongside gaiety and mockery.