Set in 1965 Kuala Lumpur, the story follows Sha'ari, a teacher who moonlights as a musician, and Norkiah, a young woman renting the room next to his.
During a Malay language lesson, a student's humorous misinterpretation of his example sentence about playing ball leads to classroom chaos.
This prompts the headmaster, Mohd Basar Muhammad, to reprimand him for violating both school regulations and Islamic values by working in nightclubs during weekdays.
When her mother and brother visit, Sha'ari inadvertently snubs them, not realizing Norkiah is his troublesome neighbor.
Furious at her deception, he rebuilds the wall separating their rooms and insults her, calling her a low-class cabaret singer.