Myriam (Lizzie Brocheré) and Nour (Olympe Borval) are two young Tunisian girls who live in the same poor tenement building in Tunis in the early 1940s.
Jewish Myriam is allowed to go to school and given certain privileges while Nour, a native Tunisian, is banned by the French colonial authorities from being educated.
They spread propaganda to the native population telling them they will help to liberate their country from the French and blaming World War II on the Jews.
Unable to pay the tax, Myriam's mother Tita introduces her to a much older, wealthy Jewish doctor, Raoul (Simon Abkarian).
Shortly after, the German army, with Khaled acting as translator, search Myriam's home for money and jewels, assaulting her mother in the process.
Myriam cannot enjoy the protection of Raoul's money, however, as Germans invade a Turkish bath and round up the women who have no veils, on the assumption that they are Jews.
After an air strike comes too close to Raoul's compound, Myriam moves her mother, mother-in-law and herself back to the poor tenement building she comes from, but is still shunned by Nour.