A Kurdish political activist flees Iran and arrives by truck in Ireland. But the asylum system overwhelms him and he resorts to desperate measures to have his voice heard.

When long-term unemployed Northsider Martha learns that her daughter Dawn has been accepted into a STEM program for bright children, she realises that she needs a job. Through the charity Hemline, she meets recently-widowed Southsider Sheenagh. Together, these two very different women embark on a journey of self-development in order to prepare Martha for her first job interview in years.

Having lost his job when the factory closed, father Daniel is now seemingly devoting himself to the church. When his wife, stay-at-home mum Zara, agrees to let a racy cabaret club pay to advertise on the side of their house a family showdown ensues.

A music obsessed mixed-race girl questions her identity when she becomes the victim of bullying in 1980s Belfast.