In 1979, the Iranian Revolution led by Ayatollah Khomeini overthrows the Shah of Persia. Marjane is ten years old and the only child of a left-leaning intellectual family from the middle class in Tehran, who hope for better times ahead. However, soon the Revolutionary Guards enforce the compulsory hijab, and the Iran-Iraq War breaks out. Marjane refuses to be subdued and rebels with Kim Wilde cassettes and Nike sneakers. For her own safety, her parents send her alone to Austria at the age of 14. However, she struggles to adapt to the Western lifestyle and returns to Iran after four years.