Karla is convinced that her husband Zaid is the most loving father possible for their nine-year-old son Hamy – right up to the day that he and Hamy suddenly vanish…
Zaid is a sleeper who has lived and maintained a low profile in Germany for many years, and now he has finally been activated. Overwhelmed by anger and feelings of betrayal, Karla fears the worst for her son. Still hoping that there is a valid reason for their disappearance, and ignoring all warnings, she sets off to find Hamy.
At the airport in Sudan, the police arrest Karla on unwarranted charges, but her lone ally arrives just in time: Tarif Sabib. Tarif works for the German Intelligence Services and locates Hamy, but can do nothing to stop Karla from rushing to him.
Unfortunately, Karla and Hamy’s reunion in the middle of a desert village is short-lived: Zaid’s brother Murat appears on the scene and forcibly takes the two to his parent’s house as prisoners. There, Zaid makes a sincere attempt to convince Karla to convert to Islam, which would also mean she would have to embrace his commitment to the Holy War…
With her world collapsing, Karla still manages to summon the desperate courage to escape with Hamy. They take a huge risk and flee across the desert, a route that proves to be just as adventurous as it is dangerous.
As they travel across the barren terrain, Hamy angrily lashes out at Karla, having been told that she planned on abandoning him for a corrupt life in the west. Still, Hamy’s trust in his mother slowly grows as they outrun their pursuers. Disaster strikes when their car runs out of gas midway through the desert – a virtual death sentence. But again Karla’s guardian angel Tarif arrives on the scene. Frantically, she tells him of an impending terrorist attack at a Christmas market. They use his satellite phone to warn the German authorities – a call that now enables Murat and his gang to pinpoint their location…