After surviving her family's massacre, Leila has a goal: to find her son Omid. But in Afghanistan, being woman means being less than nothing. She chooses to change her identity and sets a path where the slightest hesitation can mean death.

Unable to afford raising a child in Iran, a couple invents an imaginary daughter, creating her from their love and yearning.

A film within a film, "Looking for Oum Kulthum" is the plight of an Iranian woman artist/filmmaker living in exile, as she embarks on capturing the life and art of the legendary female singer of the Arab world, Oum Kulthum. Through her difficult journey, not unlike her heroine's, she must face the struggles and sacrifices, and the price that a woman must pay if she dares to cross the lines of a conservative male-dominated society.

In 1990s Iraq, 9-year-old Lamia must bake the President's birthday cake. She scrambles to find ingredients for this compulsory task while facing potential punishment if she fails.

Bahram's Turkish-Azeri work faces another rejection in Iran. He and his bold producer attempt an underground screening, navigating censorship, red tape, and inner conflicts.

Fourteen-year-old Ahmet leaves home for an all-boys religious dormitory, navigating family expectations, religious duties, and holding onto childhood amid environmental and personal changes.