Ten years old Cemil runs away from his stepfather who tortures him and his mother and ends up in Istanbul. Veli Firat Tanis, the leader of a gang which Cemil takes refuge in Haydarpasa, tries to send him back to his home by putting his pocket money. While the gang gather money for Cemil, they, at the same time, suffer from harsh living conditions. In the mean time Cemil's mother Münevver comes to Istanbul in the hope of finding her son.
Berna, a theater artist, struggles for the sake of acting only for art at a time when popular culture is dominant. Meanwhile, during a visit to a museum on 'The First Women of History', she is very impressed by the hand-painted portrait of Afife Jale, the first Muslim Turkish actress to appear on stage.
Aykut moves to a new private school in the middle of the year with his father, who is the principal. There are two separate groups between girls and boys at the school, which Aykut's father Nurettin tries to keep in line. The girls' group is 'Adab-ı Muaşeret' and the boys' group is 'Mokokolar'. Groups where not everyone is accepted are feuding mischievously among each other. A love affair begins between Aykut and Zeynep, the leader of 'Adab-ı Muaşeret', but they both have reasons to keep this love secret.