ETHIOPIA. 1996. Meaza Ashenafi is a workaholic and the founder of an organization that provides free legal aid services to poor women and children in need. As a young lawyer and a tireless advocate for women she operates under the government's radar until one legal case exposes everything and threatens the survival of her work.
14-year-old Hirut Assefa is abducted while walking home from school by a 29-year-old farmer who intends to marry her. Hirut shoots and kills her abductor with his own rifle, in an attempt to get back to her parents.
Hirut is charged with murder by the local police and kept in prison without bail. She is facing the death penalty though she claims her actions are in self-defense. The news about Hirut's case spreads like wildfire in the media throughout Ethiopia and Meaza seeks to represent her in the legal proceedings.
Inspired by this young girl's courage, Meaza embarks on a long tenacious battle to save Hirut's life. As the trial unfolds, these two women's lives become inextricably linked. The emotional toll caused by the highs and lows of their legal battle tests the limits of everything that Meaza and Hirut hold dear.