Sababu

Nikiema is a farmer from Burkina who sees fate come down upon him. His fouryearold son dies from a simple case of measles. He sells off his cotton crop at a good price, but he still faces a lot of debts. His fifteenyear old son, who had been helping him with the farm work, flunks out of school and moves to Ouagadaougou, where he finds a job guarding people's bicycles. Nikiema tries to commit suicide because he cannot fulfill his promises to his creditors any more. He is saved at the last moment by the arrival of one of his many sons living in the Ivory Coast.

A village elder veteran expecting his pension buys a mill on credit for the community, but the repeated requests are ignored by the government bring back his fighting spirit.

Bila, a young peasant, decides to go to Ivory Coast to work and is asked by his parents to accompany Pogbi who is going to meet her fiancé, through an arranged marriage, for the first time. However, Pogbi is in love with Rasmane, a pariah from the smiths' caste, and runs away.

A widow battles to claim her late husband's pension but comes into conflict with his first wife, who believes his assets are rightfully hers.