This text describes the War of the Demoiselles in 1829, a protest against the French Forest Code of 1827, which restricted peasants' rights to use state and private forests. It goes on to cover the cultural, historical and political currents that swept the countryside during the Revolution of 1830.

The drama and symbolism of the War of the Demoiselles have inspired nearly a dozen plays, novels, films and even a comic book. Using the concepts of anthropology and cultural studies as transport, Sahlins moves from this rich event to the wider worlds of peasant society in France. Focusing on the years from 1829 to 1832 but drawing on sources since the 16th century, his book should captivate social, cultural and political historians of both early modern and modern Europe.