Akram settled in Pakistan as a refugee from Afghanistan in the mid-1980s. In his struggle to make a living with his small corner shop, Akram notices some young boys playing cricket. Thoughts from the past flood his mind. He recalls the days when as a teen-ager he enjoyed football (soccer) and kite-flying, but how the hunger for revenge would utterly alter the course of his life. As much as he tries, he can't bury that memory.
When a poor refugee family moves into their neighborhood, he wants to help them, thinking this will give him some
sawab (rewards). Ironically, his efforts for good deeds, boomerang back on him with increasing problems. Worst of all, as much as he tries to bury his past, his memories haunt him.
Thankfully, Baba Sharif, an elderly family friend and a great storyteller, guides Akram and his two young sons with helpful advice. Baba Sharif grew up as a traditional Persian wrestler and entertains Akram's sons with fascinating stories of wrestlers as well as his own experiences in the wrestling arena. But the stories are much more than entertainment. Baba Sharif's stories offer profound responses to questions such as:
- How can one fall and fail in life and yet get up again?
- What is true heroism?
- Does revenge work?
- How can one make up for the stains of the past?
As Akram becomes more entangled with their new neighbors, another crisis shakes him to the core - his own son is in danger. With the stain from the past still too much for Akram to handle, a new passion for revenge flames up within him. Akram throws caution to the wind, ready to kill and forever remove his one threat in life.
How will Baba Sharif respond to this?
