The story of a man who was wrongfully arrested and forced to spend years in prison without being able to explain his situation.

The story takes place in Harbiye town of Antakya just before the 1960 military coup d'etat. The economic and political crisis of those days are reflected by the both funny and sad story of a family. The story is told from the eyes of Cemal. Now a famous painter, Cemal goes back to his hometown years later and remembers his childhood. In those days Cemal's father and uncle, member of rival political parties, are in a continious struggle with each other. The film depicts this absurd struggle and the strange stories of people in Harbiye together with the lyric story of the famous waterfall of the town.

Tarihci Dede is giving information to a couple of children about Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's success and his way to shape todays Turkey.