The film follows three young men who meet one another in prison. Each starts to tell the story behind his detention. The first is sentenced to death as he is accused of rape. The second becomes involved with a woman who lands him in jail. The third gets tricked by his wife and is sentenced in an embezzlement case. The film shows the lives of the three in prison and the hardships they face as they mingle with other prisoners.

Ex Inmate, like dozens of Egyptian films, argues that prison is not a safe place for people, even if they are masculine and hard-hitting men. Most of the film takes place inside the prison cell that the three main characters are in. Themes of masculinity, control, territory, and intimidation are emphasized, while sometimes solidarity is shown between prisoners in a brotherly manner. Produced after the 2013 military take-over, the film showing the hardship and deteriorating conditions that take place inside Egyptian prisons, yet from a mainly dramatic angle that does not cross into the political nor critical.