Pépé le Moko

Pépé le Moko hides in the labyrinthine Casbah for nearly two years, living off the community’s protection and the maze-like streets. The police know he’s there, but capture seems impossible amid the Casbah’s loyalties and the crowd's complicity. His life remains monotonous, and stepping outside would almost certainly mean arrest.

Inspector Slimane strikes an uneasy balance with Pépé, forming an unusual rapport even as his duty pressures him to arrest the thief. He vows to act if Pépé ever tries to leave the Casbah, turning friendship into a potential trap. The two men map out a tense dynamic that shadows the Casbah’s fragile peace.

One night, Pépé encounters the Parisienne Gaby and is instantly drawn to her. The budding romance introduces a personal risk that could draw him toward exposure. The Casbah’s politics begin to intersect with his private longing.

Régis, a Casbah resident, collaborates with the authorities and proposes using Pépé’s friend Pierrot as bait to draw him out. The plan exposes a network of treachery and the precarious balance of loyalties in the Casbah. Pépé senses the danger of being pulled into a trap.

Slimane brings Gaby and her group into the Casbah to observe Pépé, turning private romance into public spectacle. The encounter heightens both attraction and risk as observers from the outside study the thief’s every move. The Casbah’s walls close in as emotions collide with law and loyalty.

Pierrot disappears, triggering rumor and distrust across the Casbah. Pépé confronts Régis, accusing him of treachery and pressuring him to reveal the scheme’s truth. The disappearance forces Pépé to face the danger that surrounds him.

Pépé and Gaby spend a night together inside the Casbah, deepening their forbidden bond. The moment tests Pépé’s resolve as outside forces close in. The romance becomes a dangerous beacon within the Casbah’s tense atmosphere.

Pierrot dies amid the growing chaos, and Régis is killed in the fallout of the power struggle. Gaby leaves Algiers without saying goodbye, marking a crushing turn for Pépé. The loss pushes Pépé toward a fragile, unsettled state.

Pépé spirals into a nervous breakdown, unable to cope with the Casbah’s changing fortunes. Ines keeps him from crumbling by lying about Gaby’s whereabouts, preserving his sense of purpose inside the Casbah. The lie sustains the fragile balance among those who shelter him.

Pépé later finds Gaby in the Casbah, and they share a passionate encounter again. They agree to meet the next day, clinging to the possibility of an escape. The reunion reinforces Pépé’s devotion even as danger grows closer.

Slimane intervenes by warning Gaby’s fiancé that visiting the Casbah would be dangerous, hoping Pepe will come out if she misses their rendezvous. Gaby chooses to ignore the warning and meets Pepe again, driven by love and defiance. Later, Slimane tells Gaby that Pepe is dead, sealing the tragedy.

Pepe writes a letter to Gaby and entrusts Carlos with delivering it to her hotel, a final thread of connection between them. He moves to prepare for what might come next, while hoping the message reaches her. The act keeps a glimmer of his old self intact amid the Casbah’s danger.

Ines informs Slimane of Pepe’s plan to confront the danger, prompting police action at the harbor. Pepe is arrested as he moves toward the docks, intent on finding Gaby. The arrest marks a turning point as the chase shifts from pursuit to fate in the eyes of the Casbah’s watchers.

Pepe watches the ship carrying Gaby away from Algiers, a last image that drives him to suicide with a knife. The Casbah hosts his quiet end as the city’s lights reflect his doomed romance. Gaby’s departure completes the tragedy that began with a thief’s forbidden love.