Alain Tasma’s docudrama captures the shocking and explosive actions which unfolded one fateful night as Algerian protesters collided with the Parisian police. Interweaving the stories of an Algerian schoolboy, his idealistic teacher, a nervous police officer, a conflicted journalist and a committed revolutionary among many others, the film attempts to provide a panoramic overview of the chain of events which led to one of the darkest nights in modern French history. An intriguing blend of realism and melodrama, the film evokes the considerable tensions which existed in Paris as the Algerian war of independence neared its conclusion.