Haroun is an old bachelor who has lived in Oran for several years. A retired civil servant, he leads a reclusive life until the day he meets Kamel in a bar—a journalist to whom he tells an incredible story dating back to 1942. He claims to be the brother of ‘the Arab’ killed in a story told in one of the most famous novels of the 20th century, ‘The Stranger’ by Albert Camus. An Arab with an erased name: Moussa. Through anger, assertions, details, and confidences, Haroun finally convinces the journalist to listen to his story. His confession is a cry of freedom and distress—but above all, a cry of revolt: against an abusive mother, against a country that failed to achieve true independence, against a book, and against a famous French writer.

1990. Dans la guerre civile qui déchire l'Algérie, le commissaire de police Brahim Llob, la cinquantaine, traque les islamistes au quotidien. Devenu la cible privilégiée de ces derniers, c'est avec la peur au ventre qu'il intègre chaque matin son bureau au Commissariat Central d'Alger. Gênant pour le pouvoir en place, s'apprêtant à publier un livre dénonciateur, Morituri, Llob est dans l'obligation de prendre sa retraite anticipée, mais pourra-t-il en profiter ?