Salif, a young Mauritanian of 18, is sent to Paris by his parents to find his older brother, whom they no longer hear from. All he has to go on is a photo of his brother, a postmarked envelope and the force of innocence. After stowing away on a ferry from Morocco to Spain, he makes his way to Paris. Arriving in the melting pot Barbès quarter, he is in for a letdown: no one recognizes his brother on the photo…
Idriss, a young resourceful Maghrebin, takes him under his wing. He teaches him about the neighborhood, its pitfalls, its rules, and the odd jobs to live off. Salif begins to sell cheap goods to tourists. But his sole obsession remains to find his brother…