In 1984, Marjane flees from Iran to begin a new life in Vienna. Here she faces the trials of adolescence far from her friends and family. She carves out a place for herself among a group of fellow outsiders, but she continues to struggle for a sense of belonging. She misses her home more and more, and after graduation, she returns to Iran. Her homecoming is difficult, and forces her to confront the changes both she and her country have undergone in her absence. The repression and state-sanctioned chauvinism eventually lead her to question whether she can have a future in Iran.