During the French occupation of Tunisia, Burawy works in the library and defends women's rights. His coworker is Hamad, who hates Burawy. Hamad's friend, the Hajj, is a hypocrite who is no true friend.
As the Hajj asks his friend to sell him the land to repay his debts, it's revealed that he is a womanizer who frequents brothels. Warda's passion for education leaves her determined to go to school, even though few girls get to go to school.
As the city council asks Burawy to marry his daughter off and prevent her from going to school, Burawy refuses to heed their request and announces that he will let her finish her education and will let her choose her own husband when she is older, which inflames the council.
A French soldier arrives to search Burawy's house and daughter, but Burawy refuses to allow him to touch his daughter. The region's men give Burawy an ultimatum to either marry his daughter off or take her out of the neighborhood. Burawy takes his daughter to Sosa to tutor her.
As Warda grows up, she falls for a young man from her region, who sends her letters behind her father's back. As Abdel Baqy visits the neighborhood, he calls for both boys and girls to be educated to benefit their country.
The teacher Lamgad marries a widow who has a son, Mahmoud, who is Warda's classmate. As Burawy discovers that the Hajj has seized Hemda's land, he advises him to stay away from him to avoid getting hurt.
Burawy visits his siblings, who ask him to figure out a solution to the fact that he wrote his land over to Warda, who is about to leave for France to complete her education. As Abdel Baqy returns to the neighborhood, the residents ask him to help them with their governmental affairs.
As Burawy falls ill, he meets with his teacher friend and tells him that he doesn't want Warda to know about his illness, as he wants her to go to France to become a doctor. Abdel Baqy rallies the people to secure his win as chief of the neighborhood.
As Burawy passes away, Warda graduates and returns to Tunisia, asking her uncle for her inheritance. As Abdel Baqy supports Warda, he invites her to attend the opening of a hospital in the neighborhood.
As Mahmoud asks to wed Warda, she asks him to postpone it. Warda visits Ibrahim to get a list of the people who bought her father's land. The neighborhood people refuse to allow Warda to become the neighborhood's doctor since she is a woman.
As Warda gives the pregnant Khadija some medicine, Khadija passes away, and the police question Warda after Khadija's husband accuses her of killing his wife. Mahmoud leaves Warda and starts seeing another girl, much to his mother's sadness.
With no evidence that Warda killed Khadija, the police release Warda. As Abdel Baqy drives Warda home, someone tries to kill her, but the attempt ends in failure.
With a plan to demolish the old houses in the neighborhood, Mahmoud starts a real estate company and start building houses, but the mayor refuses to allow him to sell them to people. Mahmoud enlists Abdel Baqy's help with the mayor.
Mahmoud marries Abdel Baqy's daughter, Fatma. As the old houses get demolished, Mahmoud is put in charge of building the new houses, with help from Abdel Baqy. Warda follows her father's will and refuses to marry a stranger.