Forty five thousand Hamar live in Southern Ethiopia with the Omo River on their western border. Like many other Ethiopian people they are a pastoral tribe whose only wealth is in their livestock. This is the story of two young men readying themselves for two very different but crucial social ceremonies.

A five-year funeral and the coming of age bull run, failure for either men means family humiliation and tribal rejection. Berqi works his father's fields, lives in his father's house even though his father died five years ago. But in a few testing days all that might change as Berqi struggles to come out from under his father's shadow. In Hamar custom the dead man is slowly socially undone for his son to emerge as the next man in the family line. Five years after his fathers death Burqi must provide a funeral celebration proving he is this man. Burqi's father died five years ago but only now can his funeral ceremonies begin.

For three days family, friends and neighbours will come together to remember the dead man, they'll be fed and provided with local beer as they mourn and say goodbye to Berqi's father Suri. Berqi is not a rich man and will need to prove to the visiting mourners that he has wealth; to do this he must provide enough food and beer to demonstrate that he is a worthy successor to Suri. If he cannot, Berqi will become a worthless outcast losing his father's family legacy. Gele is a boy, loved and nurtured by his family. Now it's time for him to leave home and become a man; but first his sisters have to suffer, be beaten for him, then he has to prove himself to everyone.