A 10-year-old boy's fantasies about his absent father provide the basis for this thoughtful French drama that uses comedy, drama, and tenderness to present a realistic, not overly sentimental portrait of a dysfunctional family. Martin lives in Lyon with his mother Nina. Martin is an energetic, troubled lad frequently involved in fights at school and constantly trying to run off to North Africa where he believes his father lives as a tribal warrior. He honestly believes his papa will return to them so when the beautiful Nina gets involved with other men, he refuses to accept his rather flighty mother's new lovers. The most recent is Pippo, an aimless Italian fellow. When not daydreaming about his dad, and the fabulous life that awaits him in the desert, Martin plays with his one friend, Karim, an Arab boy.