Siska van Roosemael

In a narrow street near Antwerp’s Green Cemetery, the Van Roosemael family runs a modest grocery that has survived three centuries of hand‑to‑hand succession. Jan and his wife Siska Pot live by a strict routine of prayer, plain clothing and honest trade, their teenage daughter Siska a picture of disciplined Flemish virtue. Their world is simple, rooted in tradition, and they take pride in offering good wares at low prices, even as newer fashions flash past them on the boulevard.

Their quiet existence is jolted when the local cobbler, Jan’s longtime friend, decides one day to replace the shop’s modest windows with a bold, red‑painted French advertisement for Parisian boots. The sudden splash of colour and foreign language unsettles the neighbourhood and hints at a clash between old‑fashioned honesty and the lure of modern profit. Listeners are left wondering how this daring act will affect the Van Roosemael’s beloved store and the values it represents.