Seventeen-year-old Titenga leaves his traditional village in West Africa in search of a better life in the capital. He quickly falls into a life of misery. To survive, he befriends Ibrahim and the city's beggar children. They become “douanébis”, children who “tax” city dwellers to survive. Between rebellion and delinquency, Titenga loses touch with reality and becomes a gang leader. Believing he is following in the footsteps of his ancestor Pazo, a rebellious spirit from his village, he imagines himself the leader of a social revolt of the country's marginalized people.