Between 1954 and 1962, the Opal Coast sent thousands of its children to "maintain order" in Algeria. In a land largely unknown to the northernmost part of France, they discovered the horrors of a conflict that separated them from their families and friends and made them lose their jobs. Of these young people, 378 did not return. How did the inhabitants of the coastline live and feel this war on a daily basis? This is a history of the Opal Coast through its conscripts and their families, and also through the links forged with Algeria. More than 50 years later, it is still difficult to talk about the war.