Synopsis

In this comedy set in premodern Iran Mirza Norooz is a pharmacist who is unwilling to discard his old worn-out shoes and buy new ones. This causes the people in his town to ridicule him and makes him unfit to appear at public functions. His wife and children are no longer able to tolerate the situation. They have left him and made the purchase of new shoes the condition for their return. Mirza finally decides to buy new shoes with much bitterness. He tries to discard his old worn-out shoes, but they cause problems for him no matter what he does with them. Things get so bad that he is almost beheaded by mistake. He finally gets relief when his old shoes are publicly burned. He then goes back to a peaceful life with his wife and children, who have come back home.