A politically uninvolved worker is falsely accused after the 1980 coup and endures twenty-two days of torture before returning toward his family and home.
Story Structure — 5 Plot Phases
A Quiet Working Life
Mustafa is introduced as a politically uninvolved worker living with his wife Esma in Istanbul's outskirts. His reluctant union membership and difficult relationship with his landlord establish the social tension surrounding him.
Key Events
Mustafa's Ordinary Life — Mustafa lives with his wife Esma as a politically uninvolved working-class man. Characters: Mustafa, EsmaLocation: Istanbul outskirts
A Five-Year Marriage — Mustafa and Esma are established as a married couple of five years. Characters: Mustafa, EsmaLocation: Family home
Forced Union Membership — Mustafa is a worker who joins the union only under pressure. Characters: Mustafa, İşçiLocation: Factory
Landlord Dispute — Mustafa and his landlord already have a persistently troubled relationship. Characters: Mustafa, Ev SahibiLocation: Residential neighborhood
The 1980 Coup — The September 12, 1980 coup transforms the political atmosphere around Mustafa. Characters: Mustafa, Esma, Ev SahibiLocation: Istanbul outskirts
The Accusation After the Coup
The 1980 coup changes the atmosphere and makes political accusations dangerous. Mustafa's landlord reports him as an alleged organization member under the code name Şehmuz.
Key Events
The 1980 Coup — The September 12, 1980 coup transforms the political atmosphere around Mustafa. Characters: Mustafa, Esma, Ev SahibiLocation: Istanbul outskirts
The Landlord's Accusation — The landlord reports Mustafa as an alleged organization member. Characters: Ev Sahibi, MustafaLocation: Residential neighborhood
The Şehmuz Allegation — Mustafa is falsely associated with the code name Şehmuz. Characters: Mustafa, Ev SahibiLocation: Authorities' records
Mustafa's Arrest — Authorities detain Mustafa because of the false political accusation. Characters: Mustafa, İşkenceci Komiser, İşkenceci PolisLocation: Police detention site
Entering the Cell — Mustafa is placed in a cell with Hoca, who is also detained. Characters: Mustafa, HocaLocation: Detention cell
Inside the Detention Cell
Mustafa is detained and placed with Hoca, who is actually a teacher rather than a militant. Their shared cell becomes the setting for the human consequences of the accusation.
Key Events
Entering the Cell — Mustafa is placed in a cell with Hoca, who is also detained. Characters: Mustafa, HocaLocation: Detention cell
Hoca's True Identity — Hoca is revealed to be a teacher rather than a political militant. Characters: Mustafa, HocaLocation: Detention cell
First Interrogation — Police interrogate Mustafa about the alleged organization membership. Characters: Mustafa, İşkenceci Komiser, İşkenceci PolisLocation: Police interrogation room
Brutal Torture Begins — Mustafa is subjected to brutal torture during the interrogation. Characters: Mustafa, İşkenceci Komiser, İşkenceci PolisLocation: Police interrogation site
Twenty-Two Days Detained — Mustafa remains detained and tortured for twenty-two days. Characters: Mustafa, Hoca, İşkenceci Komiser, İşkenceci PolisLocation: Detention facility
Twenty-Two Days of Torture
Police interrogation escalates into systematic torture carried out by the commissioner and an officer. Mustafa's ordeal exposes the abuse of state power and separates him from his family.
Key Events
Twenty-Two Days Detained — Mustafa remains detained and tortured for twenty-two days. Characters: Mustafa, Hoca, İşkenceci Komiser, İşkenceci PolisLocation: Detention facility
Shared Prison Ordeal — Mustafa and Hoca endure the consequences of detention together. Characters: Mustafa, HocaLocation: Detention cell
False Accusation Exposed — The accusation against Mustafa is shown to originate from the landlord's report. Characters: Mustafa, Hoca, Ev SahibiLocation: Detention facility
Institutional Cruelty — The interrogation reveals the systematic nature of the torture. Characters: Mustafa, İşkenceci Komiser, İşkenceci PolisLocation: Police interrogation site
Family's Absence — Mustafa's detention separates him from Esma and her family. Characters: Mustafa, Esma, Sacit, EsmaLocation: Family home
The Human Cost of Injustice
The detention reaches its most devastating emotional point as the false accusation and institutional cruelty become clear. The story moves toward the end of detention and Mustafa's return to the meaning of home.
Key Events
Family's Absence — Mustafa's detention separates him from Esma and her family. Characters: Mustafa, Esma, Sacit, EsmaLocation: Family home
The Human Cost — The ordeal exposes torture as a profound violation of human dignity. Characters: Mustafa, Hoca, İşkenceci Komiser, İşkenceci PolisLocation: Detention facility
End of Detention — The twenty-two-day detention reaches its conclusion. Characters: Mustafa, HocaLocation: Detention facility
Return Toward Home — The story returns its focus to Mustafa's family and the meaning of home. Characters: Mustafa, EsmaLocation: Istanbul outskirts
Story Breakdown
Mustafa's Family Life — The story begins with Mustafa's marriage and working-class life in Istanbul's outskirts.
Five-Year Marriage — Mustafa and Esma are established as a married couple.
Working-Class Home — Mustafa lives as a worker with his family in the outskirts of Istanbul.
Reluctant Union Role — Mustafa's workplace identity includes forced participation in a union.
Forced Membership — Mustafa is described as entering the union unwillingly.
Factory Representation — İşçi is identified as a worker and factory union representative.
Landlord's Betrayal — A longstanding dispute with the landlord becomes the immediate source of the false accusation.
Persistent Dispute — Mustafa and Ev Sahibi have a continuously troubled relationship.
Şehmuz Report — Ev Sahibi reports Mustafa as an alleged organization member under the code name Şehmuz.
Political Repression — The September 12, 1980 coup creates the conditions for arbitrary detention and abuse.
The 1980 Coup — The coup changes the political environment around Mustafa.
False Political Charge — Mustafa is accused despite being described as politically uninvolved.
Shared Detention — Mustafa's detention introduces Hoca and reveals the human reality behind the accusations.
Cellmate Hoca — Hoca shares Mustafa's cell during the detention.
Teacher Revealed — Hoca is revealed to be a teacher rather than a political militant.
Police Torture — The police interrogation becomes the central expression of institutional violence.
Commissioner's Interrogation — The police commissioner participates in Mustafa's brutal interrogation.
Officer's Abuse — The police officer participates in systematic torture and questioning.
Twenty-Two Day Ordeal — Mustafa remains detained and tortured for twenty-two days, separated from his family.
Extended Detention — The detention lasts for twenty-two days.
Family Separation — The detention keeps Mustafa away from Esma and her family.
Return Toward Home — The conclusion redirects attention from political imprisonment to family and the meaning of home.
End Of Detention — The twenty-two-day detention reaches its conclusion.
Home As Meaning — The final movement returns the narrative focus to Mustafa's family and home.
September 1980. Mustafa 'Mehmet Ali Alabora' and his wife, who're both laborers are married for 5 years. The couple has nothing to do with politics and spend their days happily with their 3 year old daughter and their TV, despite the clamor of guns clashing outside every night. One Friday morning, they wake up and hear the voice of Hasan Mutlucan on radio and observe soldiers marching through the streets, the very confirmation of the military coup that has taken place. Arrests begin instantly in workplace and neighborhood. Yet Mustafa, far from being disturbed, assumes that all apprehensions must have rightful reasons. Until the night he's taken into custody, charged with the crimes of a militant code named "Sehmuz".
