L'Appel des Arènes plot
Dakar. In Senegal, wrestling has a long, venerable history. It is part of the country's cultural identity. A wrestler is a kind of wise man: who wants to win, of course he has to train, but he also has to prepare himself mentally. Nineteen-year-old Nalla is of good descent and his family cannot at all applaud his fascination for what, in their view, is popular and much too harsh sport. Truck driver and well-known wrestler André saved Nalla from the hands of a youth gang before and that is how he came into contact with the sport. In that milieu, the boy meets Sory. He is of a different caliber: a petty criminal and gambler who knows the dark side of Dakar all too well. Nevertheless, the youngsters become good friends. Meanwhile, the city is buzzing in anticipation of the upcoming match between the big boys, champions Malew and Tonnère.