My Small Land (2022) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Death of Sarya's Mother

Sarya's mother dies in the family's unnamed home country in Kurdistan. Her death leaves a void in the family and marks a painful chapter for the children. This loss precedes the family's decision to seek a safer life far from home.

Where

Kurdistan

The Family Flees to Japan

Sarya's father moves the family to Japan to escape political detention in their homeland. Sarya, her younger brother, her younger sister, and their father settle in Saitama Prefecture. They begin a new life as Kurdish refugees far from Kurdistan.

Where

Saitama Prefecture, Japan

Settling into the Apartment

The family lives together in an apartment in Saitama Prefecture. Their father takes a job on a construction site working alongside other Kurds. The family adjusts to daily life in Japan while trying to hold onto their Kurdish identity.

Where

Family apartment, Saitama

Sarya's Secret Job

Sarya secretly gets a job at a local convenience store, since her family's refugee status does not permit them to work. She hides the job from her father while helping to support the household. The work becomes her first taste of independence.

Where

Convenience store, Saitama

Meeting Sota

At the convenience store, Sarya meets Sota, the owner's nephew. The two strike up a friendship that gradually grows warmer. Sota becomes Sarya's bridge to Japanese youth culture and a life beyond the refugee community.

Where

Convenience store, Saitama

Caught Between Two Cultures

Sarya finds herself torn between two worlds. She feels loyalty to her new home in Japan, while her father looks back toward his Kurdish roots. This growing cultural tension begins to strain the relationship between Sarya and her father.

A Father's Marriage Plans

Sarya's father expresses his wish for her to marry a Kurdish boy who lives in Japan. Sarya has no interest in the boy and leaves the room when the topic is discussed. The clash highlights the widening gap between father and daughter.

Where

Family apartment, Saitama

Refugee Status Rejected

Sarya's father's plea for refugee status is rejected by the authorities. The family is told they cannot work and must remain within Saitama. The decision leaves them in an even more precarious legal position with few options left.

Where

Saitama Prefecture, Japan

Sarya Brings Sota Home

Sarya invites her friend Sota to the family's apartment. At first, her father is receptive to the young Japanese guest. However, the visit soon becomes the spark for a deeper conflict over Sarya's friendship with Sota.

Where

Family apartment, Saitama

Father Forbids the Friendship

Sarya's father later tells her that she cannot spend time with Sota anymore. When Sarya resists, he slaps her. The confrontation marks the peak of the family's internal tension between tradition and Sarya's new life.

Where

Family apartment, Saitama

Father Arrested for Illegal Work

Sarya's father is arrested and imprisoned after he is found to be working illegally on the construction site. His detention throws the family into uncertainty and fear. Sarya and her siblings are left to cope without their father.

Where

Saitama Prefecture, Japan

Sarya Loses Her Job

Around the same time as her father's imprisonment, Sarya loses her job at the convenience store. Already shaken by her father's arrest, she now loses the independence and income her secret job provided. Her situation becomes increasingly fragile.

Where

Convenience store, Saitama

The Father Loses Hope

Believing his case is lost, the father decides to return to his homeland in Kurdistan. Back in the country he once fled, he awaits arrest there. His decision reflects his despair over ever winning a place for the family in Japan.

Where

Kurdistan

The Solicitor's Revelation

The family's solicitor reveals that the father has taken a deal. In exchange for leaving Japan, his children are allowed to stay in the country. The father sacrifices his own freedom and future so that his children can have a life in Japan.

A New Beginning in Japan

Sarya and her siblings continue their lives in Japan following their father's departure. Sarya is thankful that her life can go on in the country she has come to call home. The family carries forward, shaped by their father's painful sacrifice.

Where

Saitama Prefecture, Japan