In 1907, world leaders were unsure what to make of the automobile, a blossoming technology not yet regulated by laws. When President Fallières of France learns his nephew has been killed by a road racer, he begins plotting to make the hobby illegal.
A playboy, stuntman, fraudster, and daredevil, Godard drifts from place to place. The only constants in his life are failure, and the handouts of long-time friend Du Taillis, now a journalist for the newspaper publication Le Matin.
Learning of the fast-closing window in which he can achieve something truly great behind the wheel, he concocts a plan to arrange the world's largest and most treacherous - the distant Peking all the way back to Paris, France, the cradle of automobile manufacturing and racing.
His competitors - a rag tag bunch of wealthy Europeans with little better to do but get in Godard's way.
Even travelling to the Orient is a challenge in the era, and five entrants make the start line. Even fewer reach the end.
Cross-continent, Godard and Du Taillis must face innumerable challenges - mountains, rivers, malaria, legal opposition, starvation, numerous illnesses, bandits, and more as they make the multiple month-long journey from China through Mongolia, into Russia, and then the home straight of Europe proper. But can they reach the Arc de Triomphe before Fallières signs the order, making road racing punishable by life in prison... or worse?
The journey teaches both men a great deal about their character, limitations, and what kind of men they want to become in a rapidly evolving world.
Peking to Paris is an absurdist recount of real historical events, blending comedy, adventure, and action in a unique narrative. Achieved a distinction of top 50 in the 2023 Academy Nicholl Fellowship programme.
