Vahid Mobasseri

An unassuming mechanic is reminded of his time in an Iranian prison when he encounters a man he suspects to be his sadistic jailhouse captor.

Ayaz is an ordinary man who wishes for his own home. His brother-in-law left Iran for a long time due to his anti-government activities, but the news of his possible return reaches Ayaz. Concerned that he might have to leave home if his brother-in-law returns, Ayaz tells a small lie—that the secret police have searched their home. Ayaz’s lie becomes an excuse for the real secret police to track down his brother-in-law, and Ayaz finds himself in a situation where he is forced to report his neighbors and family.

Iranian director Jafar Panahi, who has been barred from leaving the country, arrives at a village on the Iran-Turkey border to supervise a film based on a real-life couple seeking passports to Europe being shot in Turkey, but both his stay and the production run into trouble.