Asham (Shady Habashy) is a simple young Egyptian man who relocates to Cairo from Qalyub, aspiring to find a suitable job. He ends up working in the Nasr City district as a street vendor, selling toys and balloons at traffic lights while dressed in cartoon mascot costumes. He also does promotional work at amusement parks and in front of newly opened storefronts. His ultimate dreams are simply to shed the cartoon suit and to meet football star Mohamed Abou Trika. When he sets up a street stall in an alleyway to sell his wares, the police arrest him and confiscate his goods. Eventually, his dream comes true when he lands a job as an elevator operator in a major residential building, leading him to decline participating in the January protests because he has achieved his ambition and has no further demands. Throughout his journey, Asham crosses paths with numerous Egyptian figures from diverse social backgrounds and faiths. The first is Reda (Naglaa Younis), whom he meets on a Qalyub microbus. She is a kindhearted and spontaneous young woman who came to Cairo to work as a restroom cleaner in a shopping mall to support Om Ateya, an older woman suffering from diabetes and back pain. Through her warm nature, Reda wins the affection of Om Ateya—who is nicknamed "Hulagu of the Hyksos." Reda also gets to know the security guard Moustafa (Ali Kassem), who dreams of buying several motorbikes to rent out and expanding his fleet once business improves. In her spare time, Reda spends time with Moustafa, sharing his hopes for the future. In the mall restroom, she encounters more women, learns knitting, and showcases her creations to a clothing store owner who frequents the restroom. Impressed by her work, the owner hires Reda as a salesclerk once Om Ateya recovers. Nadia (Noha El-Kholy) is married to accountant Emad (Mahmoud El-Lozy), and they have school-age children. When the doctor orders further tests for her husband, her mind immediately turns to cancer. She fears for the husband on whom she relies completely, especially since they lack sufficient savings should misfortune strike. Her anxiety deepens when Uncle Ibrahim, a taxi driver, confides in her about his wife's battle with bone cancer. She snaps at Asham at a traffic light when he persistently tries to sell her a balloon or a toy. She then vows to cover the treatment costs for the driver's wife if God answers her prayers and her husband's test results come back negative. At church, she pledges before the Virgin Mary that if Emad is spared, she will transform how she treats him: she will pamper him, prepare all his favorite dishes, make the pastrami he loves without complaint so he will not need to eat it at his mother's house, take the children to visit her mother-in-law often, and bake his favorite basbousa. When her prayers are answered, she draws closer to her husband, shares his enthusiasm for football matches despite knowing nothing about the sport, fulfills her promise to Uncle Ibrahim, and asks him to teach her how to drive. Meanwhile, Nadine (Amina Khalil) dreams of having a child and endures repeated pregnancy treatments. Growing weary of medications, injections, and the constant caution demanded of her diet and movement, she finds solace in her husband Ramzy (Mohamed Sarhan), who gently tries not to burden her with his own eagerness for a child. She also receives encouragement from her elderly neighbor Adel (Mohamed Khan), a frequent world traveler whose houseplants she gladly tends while he is away. Nadine crosses paths with Nadia at church, while Ramzy runs into Asham, who is promoting a newly opened shop. Ramzy asks Asham about having children and listens to his greatest dream of meeting Abou Trika. Eventually, God answers their prayers, and Nadine becomes pregnant. Dalia (Salma Salem) enjoys her life alongside her fiancé and maternal cousin, Ashraf. She dreams of graduating, securing a job and an apartment, opening an exhibition to which she invites all her loved ones, sharing everyone's joys and sorrows, and building a life in Egypt. Ashraf, on the other hand, wants to travel abroad in search of better career opportunities. Unable to reconcile their differences, they separate, and Ashraf leaves on his own. Dalia is left wondering whether she made the right choice or erred in not accompanying him. At an amusement park, she meets young Leila (Safiya Samy), whose mother works at the park while her father moved to Libya for employment and remarried there. The two encounter Asham, who offers them happiness and a toy; Leila chooses the toy, while Dalia chooses happiness. Farida (Marwa Tharwat) comes from an affluent background—a dreamy, tender romantic with deep empathy for the poor, especially children. She is a vegetarian out of compassion for animals, does not smoke, but drinks beer. She meets Sherif (Seif El Aswany) in Agami, and they grow close. However, Sherif lacks Farida's idealism and dislikes getting involved in the affairs of others. Because of his passivity—contrasting sharply with her proactive nature—they part ways. Farida travels abroad with a heavy heart and returns after some time, only to meet Asham in the elevator of her apartment building on his very first day of work. She invites him to join the demonstrations in Tahrir Square, but he explains that he has no further demands now that he has secured his job as an elevator operator. Meanwhile, Ebtisam (Mona El Shimi) arrives from Minya to stay with a relative and work at a hospital, hoping to earn a promotion to certified nurse so that the title can be entered onto her national ID card. She saves Asham from being struck by a reversing car. Dr. Magdy (Mina El Naggar) helps her fulfill her career ambitions. Ebtisam develops feelings for Magdy, quietly caring for him in silence. She writes poetry and reads widely to educate herself. When she surprises him with her newly issued ID card bearing the title of nurse, he surprises her in return with the news that he has received a scholarship visa to study abroad for three years. Seeing his concern for his ailing mother, Ebtisam promises to look after her during his absence. Later, when Ebtisam trips on the street and falls flat on her face, Asham rushes to help her up; they introduce themselves and part ways hoping to meet again. In the end, Ashraf departs for his new job, Magdy leaves for his studies abroad, Reda rides on the motorbike with Moustafa and encounters Dalia at the clothing store, Nadia bakes basbousa for Emad and drives her husband's car on her own, Nadine prepares to welcome her newborn, and Farida heads to Tahrir Square to join the demonstrations. (Asham)
- CategoriesDrama
