This gritty drama depicts the lives of French youths, including an unemployed troublemaker, living in a ghetto outside of Paris. Amidst widespread poverty and drug addiction, two rival gangs torment the local residents, commit brazenly destructive acts and continually challenge each other, perpetuating a seemingly endless cycle of violence and hatred. Eventually, the two groups have a showdown at a chaotic concert, bringing their long-standing feud to an anger-fueled confrontation.