1950 Cairo, Amin is a simple employee who lives with his family of three, his wife Zahira, son Nabil and daughter Hoda. Amin’s friend Mabrouk convinces Amin to invest his life savings in a project, which he promises, will get him rich. Amin agrees but forgets to take a receipt. Amin suddenly dies and watches on from the after life.
A chance meeting at an auction brings together Sawsan, a working-class girl and Adel, heir to a vast fortune with several estates to his name. This leads to a whirlwind marriage. This development spells trouble for Adel's fair-weather bourgeois clique, who are used to manipulating him with their own financial interests at heart.
The carefree existence of a spoiled man comes to an end when his mother is arrested. With no education or tangible skills, the man’s only salvation lies in finding his mysterious, rich father whom he has never met. Moving from Alexandria to Cairo, the man becomes embroiled in an affair, while also falling for a pure-hearted journalist who is attempting to assist him in his aimless, futile journey. Adapted from Naguib Mahfouz’s 1964 novel of the same title.
