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.

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.

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.