In the last years of the Ottoman Empire, a poor little Anatolian town named Saripinar is hit by a minor earthquake which has neither destroyed it nor left it with many casualties. However, a telegraph sent to the central government exaggerates the situation.

A sharp allegory of power and perception, Atıf Yılmaz crafts a mordant satire that unravels the absurdity of bureaucracy. Through its layered narrative of collective hysteria, the film exposes the fragility of truth in a world eager to distort reality for personal or political gain.