Zeineb, thirty, is happy to divorce, she thinks it will be her door to freedom. Mhamed, an archaeologist, imagines that emigration will be his door to the future. His chance encounter with Zeineb, his first love, plunges him into dreams that oppose his plans. Ali, coming back from America, his head full of ideas and calculations, wants to shine at all costs. In an American convertible, the three go south to Metlaoui.

An 18 year old on the island Djerba, Aicha, is married to Said, who works in Tunis for much of the year. Aicha breaks with tradition and decides to join Said in Tunis, weaving rugs to make money. Said asks that she give him a son, so Aicha lives under the rule of her mother-in-law.