Based on Nobel laureate Naguib Mahfouz's novel Midaq Alley, a story involving four parallel episodes with overlapping characters--none of whom ever gets what he or she wants. The main characters include: Rutilio, a gruff, macho tavern owner who develops a taste for handsome young men; Chava, Rutilio's adult son who longs for a better life in America; Alma, a strong-willed beauty who's tempted to marry a wealthy elderly shop owner; Abel, an earnest but penniless young barber who loves Alma; and Susanita, a spinsterish landlady who looks for love in all the wrong places.