They had a dream is above all an imaginary story based on solid facts. It is both a social and a fictional saga, exploring the interconnected lives of two Guadeloupian families to reveal hidden or obscure aspects of French society. In the Sixties, the idea of a 'dream France' appealed to many French West Indians and Reunion Islanders. The BUMIDOM (Bureau for the Development of Migration in Overseas Districts) encouraged them to leave their native lands to escape the poverty caused by the closure of sugar mills, among other factors. Although they were overseas citizens of France, these people (some of whom were the victims of a compulsory emigration policy, while others had spontaneously decided to move to Metropolitan France) found that life there was very different than the one they had imagined.