It is based on the true story of Murat Kurnaz, a young German of Turkish descent, who was unlawfully detained in Guantanamo Bay in 2001, and his mother's legal battle for his release.

[3] The film follows the titular Rabiye Kurnaz, a Turkish housewife from Bremen, Germany, as she discovers her eldest son, Murat, has been detained in Pakistan by the United States government.

He is held in Guantanamo Bay detention camp, Cuba, for over five years, during which the rather temperamental Rabiye and the more reserved human rights lawyer, Bernhard Docke, launch a legal dispute in his name.

[4] Their campaign for a fair trial takes them all the way to the Supreme Court, finally securing Murat's release in 2006, after which it comes to light that the German government had attempted to prevent his return by revoking his right of entry.

[6][11] Writer Laila Stieler and actor Meltem Kaplan received awards for best screenplay and best actress in a starring role respectively at the 2022 Berlin International Film Festival.