Ruined marriage, failed career – Selim returns to his hometown Izmir as a broken man. At the family’s kitchen table, he dodges questions about any plans for his future. In general, nothing much motivates him. He walks the city aimlessly or meets old school friends. Then, a former comrade from military times contacts him. The strange thing is, Selim cannot remember any of it. Neither the man, nor the stories they allegedly experienced together.

After a tankship’s accident at sea, the city is haunted by a hardly endurable stench. Only Selim seems undisturbed. Around him, the world goes off the rails, the people stop being able to follow their orderly lives. They flood the streets in their wish to flee the city. To Selim, however, the mood of impending doom imparts the lust for life he thought he’d lost.