Shiva, Hanie Tavassoli, is the family head who holds the household together while her little son, Amir Ali, Mohammad Reza Shirkhanloo, navigates a world without his father. The father, Behzad, Reza Attaran, has just been imprisoned after a heated parking-space dispute that ends in manslaughter, and the family confronts an uncertain future as the verdict looms. Amir Ali, a first grader, clings to the belief that his father is dead, and the news of his father’s imprisonment strips away some of the boy’s earlier spark, leaving him withdrawn and distressed.
Each day, Shiva visits the victim’s brother-in-law to plead for the family’s permission to pay blood money, a path that would seal a form of peace but also expose the raw ache of loss in their lives. The victim’s twin sister remains stubborn in her demand for equal retaliation, insisting that justice must be carried out in full, a pursuit that shadows every meeting and deepens the family’s sense of vulnerability. Meanwhile, Izadi, the warden, and his wife, a social worker, try to provide support from the outside, offering ideas and moral encouragement as the family negotiates an intensely personal form of justice.
Amid this tense backdrop, the bond between Amir Ali and his father grows warmer and more intimate. Behzad gives his son a wooden horse he crafts in prison, a simple gift that becomes a tangible link between their separate worlds. The former English teacher uses his skills to tutor a prison guard in private, helping the man prepare for entrance exams—a quiet sign of Behzad’s remaining capacity for influence and growth. Because his behavior in captivity earns him a reprieve, Behzad secures a three-day permission to go home, a temporary return that brings tangible changes to Amir Ali’s sense of self. With his father back, the boy gains renewed confidence, and his schoolwork shows signs of improvement, hinting at a more hopeful path ahead.
In a poignant culmination, Izadi takes Amir Ali to the victim’s house, where the mother has fallen silent for years since her son’s death. The young boy speaks up, offering a childish apology for his father’s actions, and his words move the mother to tears. The moment is charged with ambiguity, leaving the question of forgiveness hanging in the air: will she find it in her heart to absolve Behzad, or will she hinge her response on the weight of the loss she has endured? The film closes on this delicate, unresolved note, underscoring themes of guilt, reparation, and the uncertain pressure of seeking peace after tragedy.
