Accompanied by the finest purebloods and their riders, Mustapha, a nomad, goes to Marrakesh to participate in the Agdal, a prestigious horse race. But his journey is upset by the death of the mother of his child, an Amazon called Selma who had competed once in the Agdal disguised as a man. Mustapha finds himself saddled with looking after, his eleven year old daughter Zaïna, who he barely knows. This is when the past rears up in the person of Omar, rival de Mustapha’s rival for Selma’s love, and who Zaïna holds responsible for her mother’s death. War is declared between the father, the girl and Omar, who sets off in pursuit of them in the Atlas mountains.