In 1984, Iranian physician Sayyed Bozorg "Moody" Mahmoody lives a quiet, happy life in the United States with his American wife, Betty, and their young daughter, Mahtob.

One evening, Moody reveals he had been fired from the hospital two days prior to their departure, telling Betty he was often mocked and ridiculed by the American staff there.

Iran's war with Iraq continues, and Moody becomes more hostile and abusive towards Betty, preventing her from leaving the house or using the telephone, claiming his family are watching her all the time.

Betty sneaks out of the house and visits the embassy, but is told that under Iran's nationality law, she acquired Iranian citizenship upon her marriage to Moody and thus is not entitled to consular protection.

Because Iran is an Islamic republic governed by sharia law, Betty cannot leave the country or make decisions concerning her daughter without her husband's permission.

He puts her in contact with a pair of humanitarian Iranians, Hossein and his sister, who offer to help Betty and Mahtob return to the United States.

Betty accepts Hossein's assistance after he warns her that when Mahtob turns nine years old, she could be at risk of being forced into marriage or drafted as a child soldier.

The female staff sympathise with their situation and allow her to bring Mahtob to school later than normal; Betty uses this time to meet with Hossein, and they discuss an escape route.

Knowing she is running out of time, Betty and Mahtob leave the house, on the pretence of going to buy presents for her father, while Moody is called to the hospital for an emergency.

[6] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times wrote: "Here is a perplexing and frustrating film, which works with great skill to involve our emotions, while at the same time making moral and racial assertions that are deeply troubling."

[8] In 2016, Gazelle Emami of Vulture, reflecting on the 25 years since the film's release, concluded that Not Without My Daughter had become known for making American women more apprehensive towards dating or marrying Iranian men.

Jay Boyar of the Orlando Sentinel called it "TV-movie manipulative",[10] while Jason Ankeny of AllMusic wrote, "Jerry Goldsmith's score does little to refute its opponents' charges of racism.