Cairo has an estimated 20 million inhabitants and is one of the most populous metropolises in the world. At first glance, one experiences the Mother of All Cities, as it is often called, as an inferno of human existence. Only after the visitor has set aside all prejudices and is ready to let all the images, sounds, and events penetrate their soul does the beauty of the metropolis on the Nile and the unusual kindness of its inhabitants reveal itself.

The film presents life in Cairo in 7 chapters. It begins with insights into the cradle of Egyptian culture and ends with a festival in the City of the Dead. In between are scenes that capture the spirit of life in an oriental megacity. Each chapter is a parable on the themes of: birth, life, work, religion, fate, longing, and death.