In the arid Tunisian village of Bizerte, Khorma -- with his blonde-red hair and quirky habits -- is the town's kindly joke. His guardian is Bou Khaleb, the official announcer of births, deaths, and marriages. When the Bou mistakenly announces the death of a woman rather than her daughter's marriage, the film immerses us in the often-hilarious power struggles amongst the clerics of the "religion business".
After the death of her husband, Lilia's life revolves solely around her teenage daughter, Salma. Whilst looking for Salma late one night, Lilia stumbles upon a belly dance cabaret and though initially reserved and taken aback by the culture of the place, Lilia gets consistently drawn back to it. She befriends one of the belly dancers and is encouraged into dancing for the audience. Lilia also starts a romance with one of the cabaret's musicians, who unbeknown to both of them, is also romancing Salma.
Following a painful childbirth, Zakia, a young woman from the Tunisian bourgeoisie becomes dependent on the Khochkhach plant (Poppy). After a few years of slow descent into the hell of dependence, she will meet in a Khémais asylum, with whom she will rediscover the taste of loving and living.
