Malik el Djebena (Tahar Rahim) is a 19 year old who is imprisoned for alleged violence against the police. Shortly after he arrives in jail, he is chosen by the prison boss Cesar Luciani (Niels Arestrup) to kill a prisoner named Reyeb (Hichem Yacoubi). Reyeb is currently in prison and is awaiting his turn to testify against the mob. Malik does as he is asked and kills Reyeb, and becuase of Luciani's power and control, there are no repercussions to the action. This initiation of sorts allows Malik to become a high ranking member of the Corsican gang in the prison. Malik learns to read while in prison, which helps him to learn and understand the inner workings of the gang. He befriends prisoner Ryad (Adel Bencherif), and after a time, is granted some time away from the prison, thanks to Luciani. While his time out is supposed to be to fulfill missions for Luciani, Malik also starts up a drug trade, with the help of Ryad. While the dangers he faces are many, Malik always seems to get out of trouble unscathed. Will his charmed life continue, or will his luck eventually run out?