Hassi Messaoud, "the fortress oasis", is a commuter town of 45,000 inhabitants. Guards patrol its streets day and night, for Hassi Messaoud is home to Sonacatrah¹s Italian, Spanish, British, American and German employees. And Sonacatrah runs the 2,000 sq. kilometre oilfield, which is Algeria’s principal source of wealth. Security is a boom industry in war-torn Algeria, but this film shines a light on an aspect of the country that rarely makes the news.