Ali, a young Algerian who carried out an attack in Algiers, hastily leaves the city to join the resistance. But he is disappointed to find that the National Liberation Army consists of only a few fighters scattered throughout the mountains. However, he is impressed by the authority of the leader, Si Tayeb, who gives him a weapon. Meanwhile, a young French sergeant, Gachon, arrives in Algeria with his contingent of conscripts. In civilian life, he is a schoolteacher, and he becomes the colonel's secretary. One night, the FLN group invades a village, the dechra of Beni Allel: waking the inhabitants, the leader gives them a propaganda speech to incite them to fight the French, then gives them weapons; He claims that all the other villages have rallied to their cause, which is false. When he finds himself in difficulty at one point, he is rescued by Ali, who saves the day with his authority and skill.