In the second of Alassane’s two mid-1970s feature films, he gives one of his beloved legends a broad canvas on which to play. When drought strikes a village, all pray to a mysterious and enormous serpent that promises to bring rain—if the king’s niece will be sacrificed to it. This mythic narrative serves as an allegorical cover for Alassane’s concerns about a Niger whose political class had grown increasingly cautious, passive and corrupt. The tale provides the filmmaker ample room to explore the landscape of a country he clearly loves.