The film's events revolve around a family consisting of seven children, and the work discusses the problems of each son, such as Nabila, whose husband refuses to have children and threatens to separate her when he learns of her pregnancy, as well as the problems of university students between ambition and love. The film reviews the difficulties that parents face in bearing the burdens of their children.
Mamdouh carries on with his womanizing ways after his marriage. His brother Fathy suffers from the constant preoccupation of his wife Nawal with her work. Mamdouh takes Fathy to a brothel, to take his mind off his problems, but Nawal discovers her husband's infidelity.
On the way from the psychiatric hospital in Alexandria to Cairo, the car breaks down with six patients inside, including Ilham, who has a nervous breakdown after her family died under the rubble of the house, Nafie Bey, the owner of the greatness, Khalil, the gambler and embezzler of his company's money, who pretends to be insane to escape the court's ruling, and Hajj Hassan, who was placed under guardianship by his children in order to seize his wealth. The four madmen escape, forcing the nurse Mabrouk and the driver Abdel Mawla to arrest four people instead of them to hand them over to the hospital administration.
三个医学院学生伊斯梅、泽纳布(女)和西尔密经常在卡尔纳克咖啡馆聚会,这里常有不少学生和作家自由发表各种观点。一次他们在聚会后被“权力中心”的秘密警察抓捕,后因参加非法活动的证据不足被释放。由于在校园写标语并反对校方,三人再次被捕受到拷打,泽纳布还被强奸。伊斯梅为了解救她,被迫承认自己参加过共产党,并表示不再参加活动。三人虽然被释放,却被情报局要求定期提供医学院学生活动的情报。泽纳布开始精神恍惚,与伊斯梅去找西尔密时发现他在和学生探讨革命方法和手段。泽纳布再次被捕,在酷刑之下说出了西尔密的集会,三人再次被投入监狱。萨达特开展纠偏运动,决定恢复民主和自由。出狱后的伊斯梅意志消沉并与泽纳布分手。第三次中东战争中埃军大败以军,解放的欢乐使伊斯梅清醒过来,并和泽纳布加入了救护伤员的行列。