Officer Avraham Azoulay Shaike Ophir is a patrolman in Tel Aviv's district of Jaffa. He is known for his honesty and a remarkable naivete, and after two decades on the force he has never earned a promotion. He is married to a dull, steady woman, and the couple have no children. The everyday life of a loyal officer clashes with the slow grind of a system that seems to overlook him.
His superiors, Captain Levkovich and First Sergeant Bejerano, decide not to renew his contract, though they feel sorry for him. In the meantime, Azoulay becomes entangled in a difficult, unfulfilled love with Mimi, Nitza Shaul a simple but charming prostitute, and he removes her photograph from the arrests billboard. His wife discovers the photo and tears it to pieces, which Azoulay secretly glues back together again. He refuses to divorce her, insisting that it would destroy her. > it will destroy her
As the days pass, Azoulay demonstrates a knack for calming crowds and handling delicate situations without violence, drawing on his knowledge of the Bible and Yiddish. He also bonds with a group of visiting French policemen who admire the French-speaking officer, and at an Arab-speaking club house he delivers an unintentional speech in Arabic. Through these moments, Azoulay shows an ability to see people for what they are rather than what they appear to be.
Yet none of these episodes alter the decision to end his career. He forms a friendship with Amar, Yosef Shiloach unknowingly, who is in fact a notorious criminal. Amar and his associates hatch a plan to stage a crime in order to lure Azoulay into a trap, so that he can finally earn a promotion and keep his contract. They settle on stealing ritual objects, including a large golden cross, from a nearby monastery.
Azoulay manages to foil the criminals at the moment of the theft and, as a reward, is promoted to sergeant. Ironically, however, his contract is still not renewed, and he is forced to retire from the police. The completed arc underscores a tension between personal integrity and institutional renewal, even as his single act of catching the criminals earns him his moment of triumph.
In the closing scene, Officer Azoulay leaves the precinct with his new rank while policemen in the courtyard practice marches. Bejerano orders a salute in his direction, and the final shot shows Azoulay returning the salute, his eyes filling with tears as he believes he is being honored. The image has lingered in the memory of Israeli cinema, capturing a quiet, poignant mix of pride and heartbreak that lingers long after the credits roll.
