When five Kurdish prisoners are granted one week's home leave, they find to their dismay that they face continued oppression outside of prison from their families, the culture, and the government.
Ismail (Aytac Arman) is the educated Turk who travels to Asia from Istanbul to escape crushing unemployment in this somber social drama. With an ailing mother-in-law, a bitter wife, and a pretty young daughter to support, he takes a job as a dog killer. Ismail is saddened to see young women his daughter's age forced into prostitution. When he returns home to ask his father and brother for an advance on his inheritance, his wife leaves him. The enemy in question refers to unemployment.
The Poor Ones tells the semi-melodramatic story of three poor friends who met in prison where have been sent to on various offenses. These three friends do not want to get out when they are released. What are Abuzer, Haci and Arap going to do when they will be out? They have no one, no jobs... Apart from Haci and Arap, everything will be the same for Abuzer, who doesn't know where to go. He will still be alone, starving on the streets of the big city.