Set in rural Anatolia at the beginning of the 1960s, Food for a Funeral tells the story of Mustafa, a young peasant who aspires to become an Ashik. His mentor is strict, and Mustafa seeks escape from the discipline of his daily studies by begging food off of wealthier families in a nearby village. In a twist of fate, Mustafa happens into first a wedding feast, then a funeral feast, with consequences that he never saw coming.