导演莫扎克·阿洛维奇(Merzak Allouache)延续了自己对阿尔及利亚社会生活的探究。影片贯穿了5个发生在阿尔及尔的故事。一个不肯在“神秘文件”上签字遭到拷打的人，一个生活在不妥协让步的家庭里的小女孩……导演通过不同人的故事，还原生活在阿尔及尔的人们的生活。以前宁静的生活，邻居们的聚会，一起凝视的海湾、丘陵，现在都已不复存在。有的只是暴力、动荡及混乱。

Elisabeth lives a quiet live in the Belgian countryside with her young adult daughter Elodie. After the divorce from her husband Elisabeth took care of her daughter on her own. When Elodie disappears over night and Elisabeth discovers that she travelled to Syria to join the Islamic State, she begins her journey to find her daughter.