Zeineb, Elyssa and Houssine, a trio unlikely to ever meet, see their fates cross paths on the night of January 14, the historic date when Ben Ali fled and the Tunisian revolution transformed the face of the nation. The individual lives of these three characters represent the frustrations, challenges, hopes and dreams of the entire country, with their tragic encounter proving to be one that will bind them together for life.

Larger-than-life characters populate director Nejib Belkadhi’s spellbinding combination of film noir and magic realism, which follows a downtrodden orphan — now grown but still saddled with a cruel nickname — who has a reversal of fortune and takes on the thugs who control his ghetto.

While grazing their herd in the mountains, two teenagers are attacked. Nizar, 16, is killed, while Ashraf, 14, has to take a message back to his family.

Four kids head to the peaceful countryside with their grandfather for a few days. When he must leave and puts the farm’s guard in charge, a mix-up convinces the children to flee, believing the guard plans to slaughter them.