Part of CHAHINE: THE RESTORATION PROJECT, 100 years of Youssef Chahine

In pre-1952 Luxor, Ahmed—a freshly graduated agricultural engineer—uses his newfound knowledge to help his village’s impoverished peasants upgrade their sugar cane crop, which threatens the interests of their feudalist landlord, Taher Pasha. Seeking revenge, the Pasha and his conniving nephew, Riad, devise a plan to flood the peasants’ fields, spoiling the crop and setting off a murderous chain of events. The resulting conflict is further complicated by the star-crossed romance between Ahmed and the Pasha’s daughter, Amal, and Riad’s scheme to force her into marrying him.