Marouf, the cobbler, lives in Isfahan. He marries an awful woman so he decides to escape. When his ship is wrecked by a storm, he finds himself on an island whose inhabitants welcome him. He becomes a famous merchant and brings trade to the island, which makes Prince Hassan jealous.

Before his death, Mansour Pasha writes over his wealth to his two sons Omar and Othman; as the latter drowns, his wife gets a boy and claims he is Othman's son to ensure her share in the inheritance. When the boy grows older, he befriends Rashad, Omar's son, and gates of hell and vengeance open.

Set in one of Cairo's densely-populated neighborhoods, Sayyida Zeinab, the film showcases beautiful scenes from city life.

The dervish Alish dies and is taken in a majestic procession to the cemetery. When he ascends to heaven to be judged, he discovers that the sum of his virtues equals the sum of his sins, so he's sent back to the living in order to test him and decide whether he should enter heaven or hell.

An archaeologist is in danger because of his discoveries.

Nargis, a middle-aged woman, is preparing to leave Egypt for the United States to reunite with her grown children, who are mesmerized by the allure of the "Land of Dreams". However, as her departure draws near, she is plagued by deep reluctance and fear of leaving her life and identity behind.

A man lives with a former belly dancer who has agreed to marry him, even if she prefers his older brother.

Abdel Sabour was a thief and a smuggler known as The Beast to the people in one of the villages of upper Egypt; everyone was afraid of him, including the police. He enjoyed the protection of Redwan Pasha, who in turn used him during elections to eliminate his rivals. Officer Raouf Saleh was sent to the village with his wife and son with the assignment of arresting The Beast. However The Beast and his gang worked together from the beginning trying to dispose of the officer and his family in any way possible.

In the 1960s, the lives of three college classmates, Ismail, Zainab, and Helmy, take a dark turn when the three of them are arrested and tortured as part of the repressive and violent practices that were employed by the General Intelligence Directorate back then.