Awa, a 15-year-old schoolgirl, is happily living her teenage years alongside her twin brother Adama who dreams of Europe. When their grandmother dies, her aunt Fatou and her uncle Atoumane promise to marry in order to preserve the family union. But Fatou does not love Atoumane and the latter, tired of waiting to consummate his marriage, commits an act from which there is no going back.

In Boutelfil, on the edge of the Chadian desert, a community gather to discuss the recent drought. For the first time in 30 years, they decide to organise ‘Amchilini’, a tradition that obliges unmarried women in the community to choose husbands in the belief that it will ward off misfortunes.