1983. The biggest architectural competition in history, both anonymous and open, is launched under the impetus of a new socialist president, François Mitterrand. Coveted by all the biggest international architectural firms, the competition is
surprisingly won by an unknown: Johan Otto von Spreckelsen, an architecture teacher from Copenhagen. Until then, the fifty-year-old Danish had only built 4 buildings: his home and three small chapels.
Overnight, « Spreck » becomes the center of attention and is thrust under the spotlight. Above all, he finds himself at the head of a colossal project with huge political and economic stakes: building the Great Arch of La Défense.