In Tehran, 12-year-old twin sisters have lived as prisoners in their house since they were born, imprisoned by their father and blind mother. The father argues: “My daughters are like flowers. They may wither with the sun.” But a social worker tries to persuade him that the girls need their freedom.

At just seventeen, Samira Makhmalbaf realized her first feature and traveled with it to Cannes. A tale of twins cut off from society, the film nevertheless beams with the proud regard of an older sister, when the girls finally take their small, miraculous steps toward the world in all its wonder.