A Heart for the Poor

'Our Mutual Girl' was unique. Not quite a serial, not quite a newsreel, and not strictly an advertisement, it combined elements of all three. In 52 weekly one-reel episodes, running from January 19, 1914 to January 11, 1915, the Mutual Girl outwitted villains, saw the sights of New York, met with theatrical and political celebrities (who frequently helped her out of trouble), and tried on fashionable outfits in chic stores. The fashions were an early example of product placement--although, apparently, not paid placement.

Lutz Ventura is a writer in a small town. There he lives an idyllic life with his fiancée Margot. When his widowed sister suddenly dies, he takes in her two children Traudl and Rudi. This inevitably leads to complications.

In the 1920s, the Aurassienne country is one of the poorest regions of Algeria, often ravaged by long winters, famine and disease. Brahim a master craftsman, is one of the richest men in the country. Married to Nakhla, then Gamra, he takes a third wife, Fadah, a young beautiful girl, hoping that she will give him an heir before he is too old. Forced to marry Brahim, the young Fadah joined the other two women in a closed world, cut off from the outside. One day, Brahim hires a tramp to work on his property. A few months later, Fadah shows the first signs of pregnancy.

A woman must decide whether to come out to her parents after her brother walks in on her and her girlfriend.