Istanbul, towards the end of World War II. A period of martial law, bread is rationed, and the prayer calls are in Turkish. A poetry book by Mustafa Ural is claimed to be communist propaganda, banned and collected by the government. The police are after him. The famous Sansaryan Complex operates as police headquarters and torture ensues against the progressive democrat intelligentsia. Mustafa refuses to surrender and runs away. Yusuf Kurçenli’s most acclaimed work adapted from Rıfat Ilgaz's novel is one of the most audacious of Turkish political films.