Captain Abu Raed

Abu Raed, an airport janitor at Queen Alia International Airport in Amman, discovers a Royal Jordanian captain's hat in the trash. The neighborhood children mistake him for an airline pilot and beg him to tell stories of his adventures. He initially resists but wearily agrees to entertain them with tales.

The children press him to explain his supposed journeys to England, France, and New York. He embellishes his stories, and the children begin to view him as their captain. The reputation spreads as they nickname him Captain Abu Raed.

An older child, Murad, suspects Abu Raed's stories are hollow and sets out to prove it. He drags the other kids on a taxi ride toward the airport to reveal the truth about their idol.

During the ride to the airport, the children come face to face with the reality of Abu Raed: he is shown scrubbing the floor on his hands and knees. Their admiration collapses as they witness the disparity between his stories and his everyday life. The moment shatters their idealized image of him.

Murad’s theft of money from his father, Abu Murad, is tied to a cycle of hardship, with Abu Murad drunk and abusive toward Murad’s mother Um Murad. The family tension explains Murad’s actions and foreshadows further conflict.

At the airport and later on a bus ride home, Abu Raed befriends Nour, a female pilot whose wealthy father pressures her to marry well. He shares his past with her, including the loss of his wife and son, exposing his vulnerabilities.

Abu Raed learns that Tareq is not receiving proper schooling and buys all of his wafers to let him attend school. This backfires in a way, as Tareq’s family uses the goodwill to push him harder into selling. The gesture deepens Abu Raed’s sense of responsibility toward the children.

Eventually Abu Raed is exposed as a phony, but he forgives Murad and gives him the pilot hat as a token of forgiveness. The act cements a fragile bond between them and signals a new sense of responsibility for Abu Raed.

Murad steals a model airplane from a travel agency and is physically punished by his father. Abu Raed comforts him in a moment of tenderness, reinforcing their growing bond and convincing Abu Raed that he must protect the family.

Abu Raed resolves to find a way to bring Murad, his younger brother, and their mother to safety. Nour volunteers to shelter them in her family’s large house, and they begin planning their departure from danger.

As they are about to leave, Murad runs back to retrieve the pilot’s cap, a symbol of his dreams. Nour drives the family away, while Tareq asks what is happening; Abu Raed answers softly, 'Nothing' to protect the others’ safety.

Despite Um Murad’s warnings that Abu Murad may kill him, Abu Raed stays in the Murad apartment to confront his fate. The story implies Abu Murad returns and kills Abu Raed, leaving a chilling void in the family’s life.

Years pass and Murad grows into a Royal Jordanian pilot, gazing out at the airfield where his dreams first took shape. The narrative closes on the legacy of Abu Raed’s kindness living on in him.