In 1961, the young writer Onat Kutlar goes to Paris to study philosophy. After discovering his passion for cinema at the Cinémathèque Française he decides to found a Cinematheque in Istanbul to bring the world of art cinema to Turkey. Although the Turkish Sinematek came to a tragic end in 1980, it quickly established an intellectual film culture that continues to influence Turkey today.
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.