Nefissa, a student in Algiers, comes home to her village in the south during the summer. Her father wants to marry her to the mayor who hasn't even told her how he feels about her. Néfissa wants to pursue her studies. Confronting her father and the villagers who don't understand her, she decides to run away to Algiers. Shepherd Rabah finds her injured and lost in the mountains and has his mother look after her. With Nefissa, Rabah becomes aware of his status of exploited man and discovers the possibilities of the agrarian revolution cooperatives. Together, they will cross the decisive stage that will allow them to escape obscurantism and exploitation.