In 1954, two young intellectuals, the ethnologist François and Ibrahim the lawyer, return to Tunisia after their studies in Paris. Brahim is engaged in the national independence movement. He is charged by the party to find his brother Beda, the resistants' leader, and to convince him to lay down his arms, a prerequisite for peaceful negotiations.

A newspaper article published by mistake sparks multiple conflicts between a history professor, the newspaper's editor-in-chief, a businessman, and a student.