A fatherless family immigrates to Israel from Egypt during the British Mandate period. The film traces the hardships the family suffers in the politically unstable country.
In 1947, after the death of her husband, Clara (Gila Almagor) and her Egyptian family settle into a crowded one-room apartment in Tel Aviv, Israel. Her son, Sami (Ophir Shalhin), is bright and has a fondness for reading, but is so upset over his mother working as a maid that he drops put of school to find factory work and help support the family. He soon finds himself swept up in a strike and embraces his newfound role as an activist, even though it could mean arrest by British police.
