Near Dakar, on the Atlantic coast, an impending skyscraper looms large. Souleiman, a 17-year-old construction worker, is in love with Ada, a 17-year-old girl. The problem is, she's already been promised to someone else. By nightfall, Souleiman and his colleagues board a ship to flee the country for a better future. Ada's wedding is ruined by fire a few days later, and a strange disease spreads. The fact that Souleiman is back in Ada's life escapes her.