Marjane is an innocent nine-year-old living in Iran surrounded by a loving but incredibly protective mother and father. She finds comfort in the carefree spirit of her loving grandmother as well as music by artists as diverse as ABBA and Iron Maiden. When Marjanes uncle is killed in the Iran/Iraq war her parents send her to school in Austria where she can study in safety. The only trouble is that her Middle Eastern appearance frightens people giving her a harsh lesson in racial prejudice.