Since childhood, Qays and Layla have been in love. Qays, being a poet, publicly sings of his love, crying it out joyously far and wide - just the sort of public proclamation which was strictly condemned at the time.
Although Layla’s father originally never frowned upon their intention to marry, Qays public declaration erased any hope of the young couple ever being together. Layla’s father forbids Qays to see her again, and in his fervor, seeks and obtains the Prince's permission to have Qays killed if he persists.
Distraught yet fearless, Qays stubbornly proclaims with all the more vigor his love for Layla, who remains entrapped by her own clan. Little by little, the mounting obstacles cause Qays to lose his mind, becoming Majnun, the 'Fool'.
Majnun then slips into the oblivion of the desert, coming out only to wander around Layla's encampment. Layla's father no longer sees Qays as a threat to his daughter, but as a pathetic boy that has lost his mind.
Meanwhile, Layla, whose name means ‘the night’, lives in the darkness of solitude, suffering from heartbreak.
Majnun's father finally breaks his silence he had vowed to keep since the start of his son’s love scandal and makes several attempts at reconciliation with Layla's father. However, during these talks, a new incident occurs which tears the young lovers apart forever.
When Majnun finds out that Layla was married off by force, he falls into a deep stupor, refusing to eat, burning his hands, and vowing to never leave the dreaded place where he witnessed Layla being handed off to her new husband.
One morning, Majnun leaves only to vanish into the desert for good. Amina, his nanny, discovers him and becomes his sole link with the outside world. From then on, Majnun can only live with the image of his beloved Layla, forever present in his new-found kingdom : 'Upon seeing me', he declares, 'one may think me mad, well, yes indeed, there is madness inside me, and that is Layla!'