From Karkhe to Rhein 1993

Saeed is an Iran–Iraq War veteran whose life is upended by a chemical weapons attack. He travels to Germany for eye surgery and unexpectedly crosses paths with his sister, Leila, who has lived in Cologne with her husband and their son Jonas for many years. After the operation, Saeed’s sight returns, and he must negotiate a world that feels new and unsettling to him. A medical diagnosis soon follows: he is diagnosed with leukemia, a consequence his doctors say is connected to the chemical agents used in the war, chemicals that were sold in part by Germany.

As his illness grows more real, Leila tries to shield him from stress, in line with doctors’ advice. But Saeed’s health falters dramatically when he watches a video recording of Iran’s revolutionary leader Ayatollah Khomeini’s funeral, recorded by his brother-in-law Leila’s Husband. The emotional strain triggers a dangerous decline, and they rush him to the hospital. He dies there while undergoing chemotherapy, a moment that casts a long shadow over the family.

Meanwhile, the news of his illness and his impending death arrives as the rest of the family continues to adapt to life in Germany. Saeed’s wife and their newborn baby arrive in Germany to be with him, underscoring the personal toll of war and exile. In the film’s final scenes, the sister’s family boards a plane back to Iran, accompanied by Saeed’s wife, signaling a departure that closes this family chapter with quiet, restrained sorrow.