The manuscript of the play is kept in the French National Archives (F/18/1328). This is the copy given to the police headquarters in Paris to be reviewed by preventive censorship authorities, which were re-established during the Second Empire. It bears a note signed by Mongobert, the director of the short-lived theatre Spectacle des Fantoccini (1852-1854) on Boulevard Saint-Martin (Paris). In it, he explains that the play was approved for performance and played there.

The play is set during the annual Saint-Cloud fair, in the big alley where the fairground theatres are gathered. Cassandre, Paillasse and Jeannot, whom Arlequin meet, rejoice at the news of the return of Mère Gigogne – a well-known figure at the fair, who has what it takes to bring back the joyfulness needed for its success. Paillasse and Jeannot parade to attract people to the stall to see a show about a giant cockchafer and trained stink bugs. Arlequin comes up to a young girl, Jeunesse (Youth), and promises to buy her a reed flute and gingerbread. The audience leave the stall, furious about having been misled, since the show never began. Mère Gigogne, followed by a large procession, appears and dances, giving birth to many children. She blesses the marriage between Arlequin and Jeunesse. The show ends with a sung vaudeville.