Acclaimed Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi bravely defies his 20-year ban on filmmaking yet again, and stunningly, he has created a masterpiece that not only lives up to his earlier, preban work but surpasses it in many ways.

In a secluded house by the sea with the curtains shut, a screenwriter hides from the world with only his dog as company. The tranquility is abruptly broken one night by the arrival of a young woman fleeing from the authorities. Refusing to leave, she takes refuge in the house. But come dawn, another unexpected presence will change everything.