Sharaf, young, attractive, full of hopes and aspirations, but broke and sexually frustrated, roams Downtown Cairo, dreaming of a new pair of gym-shoes. But the money he has in his pockets is just enough to pay for a bus ride. He meets John a nice Englishmen, invites him to his luxurious flat in the wealthy district of Zamalek.

The last week of 2006. In a typically mixed neighbourhood, people are trying to live their everyday lives in spite of extreme and unpredictable sectarian violence. All over the city, people of different religions are being forced out of their homes on a daily basis and neighborhoods are being divided by concrete walls. At night, under curfew, the residents remain trapped inside their houses…  

A woman comes in front of a factory with two small children, threatening to set herself on fire if her husband is not paid his remaining salaries and severance package. No one reacts, she does set herself in fire.