Algeria, the 1930s. Younes is nine years old when he is put in his uncle’s care in Oran. Rebaptized Jonas, he grows up among the Rio Salado youths, with whom…

During a harsh Montréal winter, an elementary-school class is left reeling after its teacher commits suicide. Bachir Lazhar, a charismatic Algerian immigrant, steps in as the substitute teacher for the…