Iranian women seeking divorce meet with strong opposition. Often, they stand by
helplessly when their husbands are supported by the court and get custody of the
children, even if they abuse them or attach little value to the education of
their daughters. Filmmaker Kim Longinotto and writer Ziba Mir-Hosseini observed
three lawsuits in Teheran. Jamileh is mistreated by her husband, Maryam fights
for the custody of her children, and 16-year-old Ziba wants to divorce her
38-year-old spouse. If she succeeds, she will have to go through life as scum,
due to the loss of her virginity. The women that Longinotto shows are anything
but victims. With humour, flattery, tears, perseverance and an occasional little
white lie, they try to achieve their goals – often with success.