The story revolves around a boarding house in a city shrouded in fog, where the residents struggle with hunger and malnutrition. The house is owned by a butcher, Bush, who periodically rents out an apartment to new tenants. However, he has a sinister habit of killing and feeding them to the residents in exchange for other goods.
A new tenant, Louis, a former circus clown, arrives, and the butcher's daughter, Julie, befriends him. Julie tries to save Louis from her father's clutches by enlisting the help of an underground organization. Meanwhile, the residents of the house are dealing with their own bizarre issues, including a woman who hears voices telling her to commit suicide and a man who raises frogs and snails in his apartment.
As the story unfolds, Julie's plan to save Louis is put into action, and the underground organization steals from the butcher's warehouse. The residents of the house band together to take down the butcher, and in the end, he is killed with a boomerang knife. With the butcher's death, the city's fog begins to lift, and a new day begins. Louis and Julie are seen playing together on the roof, symbolizing a new beginning for the characters.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. The story is set in a city plagued by fog and hunger.
2. The butcher, Bush, owns a house with permanent residents and tenants.
3. Bush periodically rents out an apartment to new tenants, who are often scared of him.
4. The previous tenant was killed and eaten by the residents of the house.
5. The residents of the house are malnourished and agree to eat human flesh from time to time.
6. A new tenant, Louis, arrives at the house, and the butcher takes him in as a guest.
7. Louis is a former clown who performed with a monkey in the circus.
8. Louis is tasked with doing housework in exchange for food.
9. The residents of the house have unusual habits, such as raising frogs and snails in their apartments.
10. One resident, Furor, hears voices that encourage her to commit suicide.
11. Marcel, a resident, owes the butcher for housing and is asked to pay with his mother-in-law's life.
12. Julie, the butcher's daughter, befriends Louis and wants to save him from her father's fate.
13. Julie goes to an underground organization to seek help in saving Louis.
14. The underground inhabitants steal food from the butcher's warehouse.
15. The butcher's mother-in-law is killed and eaten by the residents of the house.
16. Louis rehearses a new number, and Julie mistakes it for a real event.
17. Julie leads the underground inhabitants to Louis's apartment to exact revenge.
18. Furor tries to commit suicide but is stopped by Louis and Julie.
19. The butcher is attacked by the underground inhabitants and falls from the roof.
20. The butcher is killed by a boomerang knife thrown by Mademoiselle Plus.
21. After the butcher's death, his shop is closed, and a new day begins in the city.
22. The fog that had plagued the city disperses, and Louis and Julie play together on the roof of the house.