Amri, the son of a merchant, and Moshua, a poor fisherman, are inseparable friends. Although they are clearly in their 20s, they spend their days at play on the white sand beaches of Zanzibar. Amri's father is distressed that his son is so reluctant to assume his adult responsibilities as a father and businessman. He arranges a marriage to a friend's daughter, Zaitun, and is outraged when Amri announces that he finds her boring and unattractive. He bars Amri from their house and warns Moshua not to speak to him. Isolated, Amri surrenders to the demands of paternal authority, marries and produces the grandson his father wants. But in the last shot, we see him walking with Moshua beside the turquoise water. In the West, Amri and Moshua's close relationship would be immediately interpreted as homosexual. Although Amri's father clearly regards his son's relationship with Moshua as unhealthy, in this context there is no suggestion that it is anything but an excessive prolongation of childhood. Sex and marriage are not expected to result from romantic desire or psychological urges but from participation as an adult in the larger community. The film's tone and rhythm are determined by the formalities which dictate every aspect of daily life, including Amri's relationship with his father. The film is punctuated by the daily ritual of prayers, a central structuring feature of Islamic life. Only his friendship with Moshua seems to exist spontaneously outside these constrictions. In the end, society's expectations are the "father" to which Amri must surrender.