An orphan raised on the dubious kindness of his neighbors, Mabruq is considered the village idiot, tolerated, but not loved. He is secretly in love with Jamilah, a young woman held in similar regard because she has not spoken since witnessing a traumatic event as a child. All business in the village is controlled by a tyrannical muktahr, while the region is controlled by Israeli soldiers. The corrupt village leader does all he can to keep the Israelis pleased so when they announce that someone has been counterfeiting work permits, the muktahr is quick to find someone to blame. The leader's friend and handyman Mahmmud disagrees with the muktahr's scapegoat tactics and so decides to do his own investigation to find the real crook. This ultimately leads to the mysterious death of the muktahr's son. Mahmmud is blamed for the death and escapes from town. Poor Mabruq, who felt that Mahmmud was his only friend, is devastated. Meanwhile the muktahr, seeing that his seething villagers may take actions that could destroy peace, is forced to make a difficult decision.