In the dusty small town of Elandsdoorn, a South African township not far from Johannesburg, life is simple and serene. A prevailing sense of deep pride tightly bonds together the entire community – but beware to those who step out of line…
12-year-old Chanda is a promising young student, concerned only by her schoolwork and upcoming exams. But her life changes dramatically when her infant sister unexpectedly dies. Heartbroken, Chanda’s mother, Lillian, in turn becomes severely ill while her stepfather drowns himself in alcohol, leaving the young girl to take care of her two smaller siblings. Meanwhile, the formerly friendly neighbors have become increasingly distant and gossip is spreading.
Auntie Tafa does what she can to help by getting Lillian to leave town, but not even the kind-hearted Auntie is immune to the cloud of fear filtering across Elandsdoorn. Suspecting that the community’s irrational ostracism has to do with her mother’s illness and the death of her baby sister, Chanda demands answers but is met with stubborn silence. Unwilling to bear the weight of secrecy any longer, Chanda sets out to find her mother, determined to bring her back home – an act of poignant bravery that almost costs the young girl her own life – but one that inevitably forces the community to bring out into the open and face a deeply engrained, unspoken taboo…
