Salif, a young Mauritanian of 18, is sent to Paris by his parents to find his older brother, whom they no longer hear from. All he has to go on is a photo of his brother, a postmarked envelope and the force of innocence. After stowing away on a ferry from Morocco to Spain, he makes his way to Paris. Arriving in the melting pot Barbès quarter, he is in for a letdown: no one recognizes his brother on the photo…

Idriss, a young resourceful Maghrebin, takes him under his wing. He teaches him about the neighborhood, its pitfalls, its rules, and the odd jobs to live off. Salif begins to sell cheap goods to tourists. But his sole obsession remains to find his brother…

Salif, un jeune Africain de 18 ans, est envoyé par ses parents à la recherche de son frère aîné vivant à Paris qui ne donne plus de nouvelles. S’il ne le retrouve pas, il devra se substituer à lui en travaillant afin de soutenir financièrement sa famille. Il a pour seul viatique, une photo de son frère, un cachet de la poste sur une enveloppe et la force de l’innocence… « Clandestin » raconte le parcours initiatique de Salif, son arrivée clandestine en France et son immersion dans la capitale. Grâce à son énergie et à la promesse faite à sa famille, Salif surmonte les difficultés et s’adapte peu à peu à son nouvel univers…