This multilayered political drama not only offers a harrowing overview of the Gulf War in direct and strong critical language, but also tackles some of the traditional issues that women face in a male-dominated society. Hoda (Yousra) is a single mother and hardworking teacher. Still young and beautiful, she is torn by her love for a man of whom her grown sons disapprove. Hoda is further shattered by the news that her boys will be facing each other on the scorched battlefields of Kuwait, one in the Iraqi army, the other in the Egyptian army. Khaled Youssef, longtime assistant to the master Youssef Chahine, has assembled some of Egypt's finest actors for his first film.