It is winter, and the French city of Rouen in the middle of the Franco-Prussian war. The Prussian army occupies the city. The Germans allow several merchants to leave the city for Le Havre on business.
Early in the morning ten people leave Rouen in a carriage. Among them are: a wine merchant with his wife, the owner of the paper spinning factories with his wife, the count with his wife, two nuns, the Democrat Kornude and a prostitute nicknamed Dumpling (or "Boule de Suif," from the title). Men, adherents of the conservative party, unite against Kornude, and women begin to discuss the prostitute Dumpling.
The carriage rides very slowly, constantly getting stuck in the snowdrifts. Expecting to arrive quickly, the passengers did not have enough provisions, and soon they were terribly hungry, but neither the tavern, nor the farm, where you could buy food, is visible on the road. By three o'clock in the afternoon, Dumpling, who did not want to stop in taverns and had planned to eat her supplies on the trip, could not stand it and took out enough food for three days. At first, Dumpling hesitates to treat arrogant gentlemen, but soon even virtuous ladies step over their pride and join the meal.
Dumpling tells that she can not see the Prussians on the streets of Rouen and left her native city out of a sense of patriotism. The night is coming. The journey lasts 13 hours. Soon the police stops the crew to check the documents, after which all decide to spend the night in the "Commercial Hotel". The owner of the hotel tells Dumpling that the Prussian policeman wants to talk with her. She goes and returns indignant, but she does not tell anyone what happened. Everyone is having supper. At night, Kornuda sticks to Dumpling, but she does not want to provide him with services while Prussian soldiers live in the hotel.
In the morning it turns out that the coachman disappeared. When they find him, he explains that the Prussian officer forbade him to harness the carriage. Soon it turns out that the policeman will not release them until Dumpling does not surrender to him. At first, everyone is indignant at the officer's impudence, but the next day they are already beginning to get angry that she does not do what he wants and what her "profession" implies.
On the third day, gathering in the tavern, everyone starts to think out how to get Dumpling to fulfill the officer’s will, scold her and despise her because of her being stuck here. Even nuns participate in persuasions and suggest Dumpling that her sacrifice will be pleasing to God.
By the middle of the fourth day the servant reports that Dumpling agreed and will not come out for dinner. Everyone celebrates, releases greasy jokes, drinks champagne. Only Kornude believes that they have committed an abomination.
The next morning, everyone is waiting for a harnessed carriage. Released Dumpling is ignored and everyone sets off from her, as from a leper. When it's time for lunch, everyone takes out the food they have, only Dumpling does not have anything - she did not have time to take care of the food. Full of resentment and fury, Dumpling reminisces about her basket with a three-day supply of provisions, which these hypocrites did not disdain, and begins to cry. Everyone turns away. Kornude sings, and to the end of the road sobbing of Dumpling mix with the stanzas of the Marseillaise.
