Three farmers decide to leave their village, where the spring has dried up, and move to the city. Salem, the youngest, rebels because he cannot find work. A young woman plays the role of conscience to the villagers who remain in front of their televisions watching the modern world, without changing their situation. Their difficult search for work raises the issues of unemployment, rural exodus, and emigration.

A documentary filmmaker goes to work on a project about Tunisians who have worked abroad. Many have married French women, and the couples try to adjust to France after many years in Tunisia. The man decides to forego the film in order to address the personal and social concerns of the people trying to cope in their new surroundings. This feature appeared at the 1970 Cannes Film Festival.