A sensitive adolescent being raised under strict Islamic law longs to get an education as opposed to fending off the infidels in this thoughtful meditation on post-9/11 Muslim society from Australian director Benjamin Gilmour. Sher Alam Afridi (Sher Alam Miskeen Ustad) is a widowed Pashtun and gunsmith who lives on the Northwest Frontier of Pakistan with his eleven year old son Niaz (Niaz Khan Shinwari). While Sher encourages his illiterate son to continue the family tradition of making guns, young Niaz just wants to go to school. Nevertheless, the dutiful youngster frequently runs errands that include purchasing hashish for his elderly grandfather, and relishes his visits with friendly local poet Agha Jaan (Agha Jaan) - who kindly reads Niaz the letters sent to the boy from his cousin Anousha (Anousha Vasif Shinwari) in Peshawar. Deciding that the only way out is to get an education, Niaz optimistically procures some school enrollment papers and approaches his open-minded uncle Baktiyar (Baktiyar Ahmed Afridi) for advice. Despite his best efforts, Anousha's father fails in convincing his brother to sign the documents. Later, after an explosive argument, Niaz runs away to Peshawar and sits outside the gates of the school in hopes that someone will take him in.