Kiana, an Iranian lesbian who had left Iran to avoid getting arrested, tries to start a new life in the UK, but her application is turned down by the Home office. She has nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.

Prominent filmmaker, artist and actress Mania Akbari reclaims her body—and that of all the other women in Iranian film. Using almost a hundred excerpts spanning Iran's film history, from the silent era to just after the Islamic Revolution—films that have all since been banned—she tells a story of liberation, exploitation, emancipation and ultimately oppression.

Afghani refugee Ali and his brother have just arrived in Turkey where, surrounded by many other refugees, his family tries to build a new life. The boys earn their living shining shoes. When one day their spot has been taken, their fragile existence and dreams of a better future hang by a thread.