Haifa, nicknamed after the city he longs for, comes and goes in a Palestinian refugee camp. Although he is seen as the town fool, there are many things that only he knows. He is closely related to the family of Abu Said, a former policeman who is has high hopes for the political developments promised by the peace process. Oum Said, his wife, hangs her hope instead on the imminent release of their eldest son, Said, from jail. Their youngest son, Siad, is cynical and rebellious. Sabah, their twelve year old daughter sees the future through the eyes of a romantic, searching for what it might hold in store for her.