Amid a society that clings tightly to its cultural traditions, a translator, writer, and poet finds himself at odds with the government's restrictive cultural structure. With his finances stretched thin and his wife expelled from the university, he retreats to an abandoned house in his hometown. But just as he begins writing a new novel, a looming threat emerges - the rising river that threatens to engulf him and his family. As he battles to keep the floodwaters at bay, he's also fighting against the oppressive forces of the government that seek to silence his dissenting voice. But he's determined to finish his book, even as his situation becomes increasingly dire.