A young musicologist sets out for the north-western province of Khorasan to compile and record traditional songs. This part of Iran, where he was born years before, is considered the cradle of folklore, but after he arrives the musicologist discovers that only lullabies and dirges have been preserved of the original folk culture. At the same time, he can find no one willing to sing them because women are forbidden to do so. After futilely attempting to convince the local inhabitants to cooperate in his research, he learns of a woman named Heyran who ended up in prison because of her love for music. After surmounting a number of obstacles the protagonist manages to contact her and tries to gain her confidence. He comes to realise what an important role his own family had in Heyran’s life.