Mendy (Oren Rehany) is a young man living in Bnei Brak, Israel, struggling to keep his mind focused on rabbinical school. His family is supportive of him, and they realize that adolescence involves soul-searching and discontent. But his teacher sees that deep down Mendy is full of lust, and he tells Mendy to rid himself of these desires by visiting a prostitute in Tel Aviv. At a whorehouse called The Love Boat, Mendy falls head over heels in love with a Russian harlot named Sasha (Tchelet Semel)--a baby-faced rebel who secretly longs for an escape from her difficult life. Next Mendy meets Sasha's boyfriend, Mike (Saul Stein)--a gruff American who runs his own bar, a den where drunken Arabs and Jews mix merrily. Soon Mendy is working at the bar, living with Mike, and courting Sasha. Little does he know, a dark political and criminal current runs through Mike's Bar, and just behind it follows big trouble. Meanwhile, Mendy is asking himself important questions about God and life, but he's not finding any answers.

Director Eitan Gorlin has crafted a multidimensional film with THE HOLY LAND. Under its coming-of-age veneer lies a darker story about sin, religion, faith, loyalty, and the fear of terrorism. Serene moments overlooking the prayer wall and the city of Jerusalem are contrasted with perturbing sexual sequences in the Love Boat. As Mendy, Rehany doesn't miss a beat, while it is Stein in the role of Mike who steals the show as the unpredictable father figure who is at times nurturing and at other times just plain scary.