The Conscript

In 1833 when the fledgling Belgian kingdom still fears a Dutch invasion recruits were selected annually from an age cohort by a draw of lots in each locality In this grim then contemporary drama by the father of Flemish literature Hendrik Conscience Jan Braems a poor and naive farmersboy accepts the not uncommon offer by a rich family to sell his lucky ticket out to their son for a hefty sum compared to the miserable labor wages at the time Army life is even harsher then a farmhands especially for a Dutchspeaking analphabet who simply cant understand his francophone superiors and Jans nature is not complacent enough for military discipline even by todays standards so he soon gets into all kinds of trouble including gambling his capital away and a venereal disease When his girlfriend back home goes looking for him her life is doomed as well