In Golestan, the North of Iran bordering Turkmenistan, time seems to pass slowlier. The inhabitants live staid and appear tight-lipped. That goes for grumpy Hassan as well, living with his uncle Kazem, whose best friend is his donkey and who collects old license plates. Kazem runs an ailing clothing store. After work he treats himself to tea in the cafe and waits for things improving. 28-year-old Alam works on a chicken farm and learns English with an audio cassette. He plans on marrying his crush Ana and going to Baku with her. As he heard, everyone speaks English there. But before that he has to train a new aide – Hassan. There’s also a Turkmen bard to be photographed for a book published in Teheran.
