Rennes, nowadays. Saïd still lives with his parents. He is having a secret affair with Vincent. Unable to face his family, he agrees to an arranged marriage with Hadjira. After an unhappy love affair and a few run-ins with the law, she too has resigned herself to obeying her mother. Trapped by their families, Saïd and Hadjira join forces in spite of themselves, to find their own freedom.

When a cargo ship is forced to dock for a few days, its quarrelsome crew uses this dockage to find new members but one of them, Giuseppe, no longer seems to find his place there. Theo, an untainted docker, is willing to do whatever it takes to be accepted among the crew and leave with Giuseppe.