The story begins by introducing the player, who plays as Ali, to the penitentiary, where he lives with his mother who has committed an unnamed crime. Ali is able to build relationships with the other women and children in the penitentiary, and quickly realizes that he is able to come and go to the penitentiary as he wishes. Although initially shy and unable to properly speak, he is ultimately motivated to explore the outside world as he believes he can rescue his mother, and begins to interact with those "inside" and "outside" more frequently. This main storyline poses the goal of collecting and selling 10 "special" football cards, as Ali believes selling these can raise enough money to help his mother. To do this, he must choose and complete a variety of missions on the Map.

The player is allowed to freely roam and interact with the landscape, in which many cultural and political signifiers are hidden, providing a database of knowledge for the player to discover. The game is dynamic and variable-based, meaning that certain traits relating to the player's personality are altered based on chosen missions and interactions with the surrounding characters (expanded upon in Personality Breakdown).  Missions materialize as mini games or puzzles. Additional opportunities of interaction may become available based on previous actions. The player must make strategic alliances in order to achieve the ending they wish.