Setif, in present-day, Ali, a young man from the lower class leads a dull, narrow and isolated life. One evening, he is forced to give his sister-in-law a ride home, yet Habiba's ways are in total contradiction with his own values.
1956. Algeria is a French colony. Fernand and Helene are madly in love. Fernand is an activist, fighting for independence alongside the Algerians. Helene is fighting for Fernand’s life. History will irrevocably change the course of their destiny.
